Mark Hamill’s favorite ‘Star Wars’ movie is also a favorite of most fans.
Mark Hamill and Star Wars go together like mac & cheese. The actor portrayed Luke Skywalker in six movies and even acted as the body of the character in The Mandalorian. While there are plenty of Star Wars movies to choose from, Hamill says that his favorite one is the film that most fans would also agree with.
‘The Empire Strikes Back’ is widely considered to be the best ‘Star Wars’ film
Star Wars fans are divided about many things in the franchise. However, most would agree that Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is the best one. It’s a critical and box office success, but it also contains many of the best moments from the series. It introduces Yoda (Frank Oz), Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams), and unveils the massive twist that Darth Vader (James Earl Jones) is Luke’s father.
Empire is directed by Irvin Kershner who took the series in a darker direction. It leaves audiences on a cliffhanger that had everyone wondering what would happen next. Audiences wouldn’t find out until Episode VI: Return of the Jedi came out three years later. Many consider it to be one of the best sequels made as well as it improves on certain aspects of the first while continuing the story.
Mark Hamill says ‘Empire’ is his favorite movie in the ‘Star Wars’ franchise
Empire is many people’s favorite Star Wars film, but it’s also the favorite of some of the stars. In a 2019 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Hamill shared that Empire is his favorite one, even though choosing a favorite for him is like picking a “favorite child.”
“It’s like, pick your favorite child. You like them all for different reasons,” Hamill said. “I guess I’d have to go with Empire, only because it was so unexpected to have the protagonist be so soundly defeated. Losing the hand and the dad Vader, all of it was pretty unexpected. And it was much more cerebral. Yoda is such an important addition to the mythology and I thought it was so clever of George [Lucas], the concept of the Force, so you can talk about religion and spirituality without making everyone uncomfortable. So, for that alone.”
In a time where Star Wars fans are endlessly divided, it’s nice to see there is at least one thing that the Star wars community mostly agrees on.
Mark Hamill continues to be involved with ‘Star Wars’
After 30 years and more, Hamill finally reprised his role as Luke Skywalker in Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens. While his role was rather brief in that one, he had a more prominent role in Episode VIII: The Last Jedi and he returned once again for Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker. Fans certainly have opinions and thoughts on the direction his character went in the sequel trilogy, but that’s a discussion for another time.
Most recently, he had a brief cameo in the finale of The Mandalorian season 2. Since he was playing a younger version of himself, his face was de-aged, but it was still him in the physical form. In an appearance on an episode of Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian, Hamill said he was delighted to see the excited reactions from fans.
“Jon [Favreau] sent me links to reaction videos, which were just — you know, I don’t get to see these things in the audience,” Hamill said. “To see grown men cry and just people screaming their heads off, it was really, really thrilling for me to see them enjoying it so much.”
Star Wars is currently streaming on Disney+.
