Star Wars: Mark Hamill reveals he originally wanted Luke to turn to the Dark Side in Return of the Jedi

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Mark Hamill voiced his concerns about Skywalker's arc to Star Wars creator George Lucas

(Image credit: LucasFilm/Disney)

Star Wars would have been very different – if Mark Hamill got his way. It's long been known that the Luke Skywalker actor was initially unimpressed by his character's arc in the sequel trilogy, though Hamill has since repented. "I regret voicing my doubts and insecurities in public," he wrote on Twitter. "Creative differences are a common element of any project but usually remain private."

Interestingly enough, Hamill has voiced a few more creative differences with the direction Luke Skywalker took, though this time not about the character's place in the sequel trilogy – but the original three movies. Speaking to SiriusXM's "EW Live" station (via The Hollywood Reporter) while promoting his role on What We Do in the Shadows season 2, Hamill said he originally thought Luke should turn to the Dark Side in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. 

"I remember complaining to George [Lucas] about something in Revenge of the Jedi, and I said, 'It's so predictable and pat,' and he said, 'Mark, don't forget. These things were made for children,'" Hamill said. "His original intention was to make movies for, you know, kids! Adolescents and younger."

Hamill added that Luke's darker costume had given him the wrong idea. “Because I was wearing all black, I thought I would go to the Dark Side in the last one," he continued. "And, of course, you have to redeem yourself… every actor wants to play their own evil twin.”

While Luke never truly turned to the Dark Side, we saw glimpses of the former moisture farmer's anger in The Last Jedi, when he thought about murdering Ben Solo. Looks like Hamill got to play that evil twin after all, kind of?

Jack Shepherd
Jack Shepherd
Freelance Journalist

Jack Shepherd is the former Senior Entertainment Editor of GamesRadar. Jack used to work at The Independent as a general culture writer before specializing in TV and film for the likes of GR+, Total Film, SFX, and others. You can now find Jack working as a freelance journalist and editor.