Mark Hamill Reveals He Hasn't Seen Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope Since Its Premiere in 1977

Published: June 6, 2025

Mark Hamill, the iconic actor who played Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars franchise, has confessed that he hasn't seen the original Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope premiered in 1977.

"I haven't seen it since it came out," Hamill said during an interview on the 3rd hour of Today. "My sons watch it - especially Nathan is a huge aficionado. I saw it when it came out and I just don't revisit it."

Hamill, 73, joked that he's not one to watch his own movies, saying "I'm not one of those people that goes, 'Hey, let's watch one of my movies!'".

The actor also shared his insights on the Star Wars franchise, saying it's not science fiction, but rather a fairy tale. "One of the things that struck me when I first read [the screenplay] was, 'This isn't science fiction - it's a fairy tale.' There's a princess, there's a wizard, there's a space pirate. If you did a gender switch with Wizard of Oz and made Dorothy Luke, it's very similar to that, because they both get swept away to these grand adventures."

Hamill also recalled complaining to Star Wars creator George Lucas during the making of 1983's Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi, saying "I said, 'You know, Luke has lost his hand, he's got the black glove - shouldn't it be about Luke struggling with turning to the dark side?' And George said, 'Mark, it's for children.' And that's why he would never consider killing any of the main characters [in the original trilogy]. In the new ones, they pop us off one at a time."

Hamill's latest film, The Life of Chuck, is now in theaters. In a recent interview, Hamill didn't rule out returning as Luke Skywalker, but he thinks the focus should be on the new projects and new people.

He also expressed his excitement to see Ryan Gosling lead in the upcoming Starfighter film, saying "I like his humor too".

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