Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) shares his favorite memories of Adam West (@therealadamwest) and discusses #StarWars on the #Tonys red carpet. pic.twitter.com/3JEKmzNzq7
— Variety (@Variety) June 12, 2017
It is definitely not hard to shake Star Wars fans to their core and give them concern about the future of their beloved franchise. If you look at the reaction to Colin Trevorrow’s latest film or any opinion about George Lucas’ decision on the franchise before The Force Awakens, you’ll see that folks are quick to judge. That’s likely what happened to Mark Hamill after Vanity Fair’s large The Last Jedi issue hit and he was quoted as saying this about his reaction to Rian Johnson’s script:
“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.’ ”
Hamill noted that he has the utmost respect for Johnson and The Force Awakens’s director, J.J. Abrams, and is pleased with how both films have turned out. He just wanted to be heard. To both directors, Hamill said, he delivered a version of this spiel: “I have thousands of really terrible ideas I would love to share with you, among which you might—just law of averages—find a nugget of something and go, ‘That’s not as terrible as the other 35 you just told us.’ ”
The second part is what plenty of people likely skipped over. When you read that someone “fundamentally disagrees” with the direction his character is taking, your mind goes to places. Never mind that Hamill has had some odd ideas about Skywalker in the past, especially with his thoughts on a “tougher” Luke after The Empire Strikes Back, you just go to bad places when there are any doubts about your beloved characters.
Luckily, Hamill cleared up the comment while on the red carpet at the Tony Awards, speaking to Variety about his feelings towards Adam West and how much he adores Rian Johnson:
I got into trouble because… I was quoted as saying to Rian that I fundamentally disagree with everything you decided about Luke, and it was inartfully phrased. What I was, was surprised at how he saw Luke. And it took me a while to get around to his way of thinking, but once I was there it was a thrilling experience.
He adds that he was surprised by how well the film turned out, at least the parts that he has seen of it. He also praises Johnson’s prior work on Brick, The Brothers Bloom, and Looper, saying that each film is different than the last, giving this sort of unexpected quality to the films he puts his name to. Fans will be able to make their own decisions about The Last Jedi once it arrives this December, but until then we can all hope some patience is mustered for the Star Wars franchise. Also remake Caravan Of Courage and The Ewok Adventure.
(Via Variety / Vanity Fair)