Iconic Luke Skywalker actor Mark Hamill has shared his experience auditioning for Star Wars, and it’s a perfect reminder that, at first, so much was unknown about the franchise that would eventually become a major phenomenon. A New Hope was the very first addition to Star Wars movies and TV shows, but at that point, it was only called Star Wars. Undoubtedly, part of this initial title for the movie was due to uncertainty about Star Wars’ future—that is, whether it would have a future at all.

The newness and uncertainty of Star Wars’ early days was evident in Mark Hamill’s recent revelation that, when he first auditioned for the role of Luke Skywalker, he had no idea who George Lucas was. In an interview on the Politickin’ with Gavin Newsom, Marshawn Lynch, and Doug Hendrickson podcast, Hamill shared:

Then, some friend of mine said, ‘Did you hear about this movie that George Lucas is doing, Star Wars?’ It’s Robert England who plays Freddy Krueger. To this day, even in his book he said, if it weren’t for me, Mark would have never [got it]. I don’t want to burst his bubble. But when I called my agent, she said, ‘Oh, yeah, you have an appointment, you know, ten days from now.’

But the weird thing was when we went in. It was a meet and greet with Brian DePalma, who was casting Carrie the King horror film, and George, and you know it’s just like tell us a little about yourself, and blah blah blah. And so, five minutes over I went out to it was a cattle call. You know, there’s fifty guys there, you know, Han Solo types and Luke types. And I said to one of the actors, ‘Who was Brian DePalma’s assistant in there, the guy with the beard that didn’t say a word?’ They said, ‘You idiot, that was George Lucas.’ I said, ‘Oh, he didn’t say anything.’ Brian talked.

This hilarious update from Mark Hamill really does prove that, while Star Wars might be one of the biggest franchises in the world now, its origins were quite different.

Even Mark Hamill Didn’t Realize How Big Star Wars Could Be

Initially, No One Was Sure Whether Star Wars Would Find Success

Many of Star Wars’ original trilogy actors have spoken about how they had no idea how massive Star Wars would become when they first took the role. This makes sense, as it’s impossible to completely predict the success of a show or movie. It’s especially difficult to know what will become a cultural phenomenon, particularly to the degree Star Wars has. Certainly, at first, there were plenty of doubts about how well this movie would land with audiences.

Mark Hamill spoke about that in his interview on the podcast as well, revealing that he initially wasn’t sure how serious a project Star Wars was. Hamill explained:

“I said to Harrison, who I tested with, I said ‘You were in American Graffiti. You know, George, is this like a comedy or a send up, like a spoof or… it just it can’t be serious, right?’ He said, ‘Hey, you know whatever, let’s just get it done.'”

It may be difficult to get into the headspace of not knowing all that Star Wars would inevitably become, but looking at A New Hope alone, Hamill’s perception makes sense. So much of that first Star Wars movie was world-building, and concepts like the Jedi, the Force, and lightsabers didn’t have the cultural resonance they do now. At the time, it would have been fair to see the script for A New Hope (then Star Wars) and perceive it as an odd—maybe even parody—space movie.

Mark Hamill Was Definitely The Right Choice For Luke Skywalker

It’s Difficult To Imagine Anyone Else Playing This Role

Of course, plenty has changed in the nearly 50 years since. Luke Skywalker is now firmly cemented as one of Star Wars’ best characters, and Hamill as one of Star Wars’ most beloved actors. While Hamill may have seen somewhere in the ballpark of 50 other men in the room to audition, it’s incredibly difficult to imagine anyone but Mark Hamill in the role of Luke Skywalker.

This is true not only because Hamill has been the face of the character for generations but also because he continues to show love for Luke and the franchise. Hamill could have taken the role and then moved on to other projects, leaving Star Wars in the past, but while he has been in myriad shows and movies over the years, he still attends conventions, speaks about Star Wars, and even reprised his role as Luke Skywalker. Thankfully, despite not knowing who George Lucas was in the room, Mark Hamill landed the role of Luke Skywalker, shaping Star Wars forever.

Source: Politickin’ with Gavin Newsom, Marshawn Lynch, and Doug Hendrickson