Mark Hamill Returned To Star Wars Because Of Harrison Ford

It's never a good idea to do anything just because your friends are doing it. But when your friend is Harrison Ford, the rules kind of change.

Luke Skywalker actor Mark Hamill told The New York Times that he was reluctant to return to the Star Wars galaxy for 2015's The Force Awakens and the subsequent sequels. Speaking about a 2012 meeting during which George Lucas told him and Carrie Fisher about plans for the new trilogy, Hamill said, "I was just really scared. I thought, 'Why mess with it?' The idea of catching lightning in a bottle twice was ridiculously remote."

Hamill said Fisher didn't need long to decide. "Carrie, not a minute went by, she slapped the table and goes, 'I'm in!'" But he wasn't so sure that Harrison Ford would be into the idea. "He's too old and too rich and too cranky."

If Ford would've turned down the offer, Hamill believed it wouldn't have been a big deal if he also said no. But when Ford agreed to appear in The Force Awakens, that changed everything. "Can you imagine if I was the only one to say no?" Hamill said. "I'd be the most hated man in nerd-dom." 

However, Hamill didn't necessarily agree with the plans for his character. He told Vanity Fair that he hoped to appear in The Force Awakens much more than just during the final moment, and he wasn't on the same page with The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson. "I at one point had to say to Rian, 'I pretty much fundamentally disagree with every choice you've made for this character. Now, having said that, I have gotten it off my chest, and my job now is to take what you've created and do my best to realize your vision.'"

We'll find out exactly what Johnson had in mind for Luke when Star Wars: The Last Jedi lands in theaters on Dec. 15.