Mark Hamill Clarifies Comments About His 'Star Wars' Retirement

Actor Mark Hamill may no longer be appearing in Star Wars as Luke Skywalker, but that doesn't mean he has given up on the franchise.

While promoting his new movie, The Life of Chuck, Hamill opened up on recent comments that he made about his retirement from the Lucasfilm franchise.

While promoting his new movie in an interview with ComicBook, Hamill made sure to thank creator George Lucas for the chance to become one of the most iconic pop culture heroes of all time. However, he went on to say that he thinks that the franchise should look to the future and focus on a new cast of heroes.

“I am so grateful to George for letting me be a part of that back in the day, the humble days when George called ‘Star Wars’ ‘the most expensive low-budget movie ever made,’” he said. “We never expected it to become a permanent franchise and a part of pop culture like that. But my deal is, I had my time. I’m appreciative of that, but I think they should focus on the future and all the new characters.”

He also pointed out that Luke physically "disappeared" following his death in "The Last Jedi" when he became one with the Force, leaving nothing but a discarded cloak on the ground. “I left my robes behind. And there’s no way I’m gonna appear as a naked force ghost,” the actor quipped.

Following the interview, news of his retirement from the franchise quickly made headlines. In an interview with TODAY, Hamill clarified his comments, stating that his role in the sequel trilogy "felt like a conclusion," adding, "My character was given complete closure."

"I died... and once the Skywalker trilogy was over, it was a whole new era for them [Lucasfilm]," he added.

Elsewhere in the interview, Hamill noted the limitations of appearing as a Force Ghost in future films. That being said, he also floated the idea of appearing in a movie that focused primarily on fallen Jedi who have become one with the Force.

"George gave them this amazing canvas, the entire galaxy, they can do Westerns, mysteries, comedies, you know, whodunnits, anything within that realm of Star Wars, and they're doing so well... I had my time. I'm really appreciative, but I'm really looking to the future for all these new projects," Hamill continued.

He went on to say, "I saw headlines: 'Mark Hamill quit Star Wars.' Well, let me say, they haven't asked me.It's not like they said, 'Please come back.' How much can you do with a Force Ghost? I'd like a movie set all in the Force Ghost realm. I could have conversations with Alec Guinness... From your lips to God's ears."

News of his retirement didn't exactly shock fans when it first made headlines, as Hamill was vocal about his disappointment with the way director Rian Johnson treated his character in 2017's "The Last Jedi." In fact, Hamill was so upset with Johnson's understanding of Luke that he went on to pretend that he was playing a different character altogether.

“I almost had to think of Luke as another character. Maybe he’s ‘Jake Skywalker,’ he’s not my Luke Skywalker," he confessed in a 2017 interview. "But I had to do what Rian wanted me to do because it serves the story well.”

In another interview clip, Hamill insisted that the Luke Skywalker that Johnson wrote into the script was not acting in a way that made sense for a Jedi.

“Who is this guy? How did the most optimistic, hopeful character in the galaxy turn into this hermit who says, ‘It’s time for the Jedi to end’?” he asked. “I read that and I said, ‘What?’ That’s not what a Jedi does. I mean, a Jedi is optimistic, a Jedi has tenacity. He doesn’t secrete himself on an island.”

In another 2017 interview, Hamill insisted that Luke Skywalker wouldn't have simply given up and walked away from the galaxy, and especially from his sister, Princess Leia Organa, played by the late Carrie Fisher.

“I said to Rian, I said, ‘Jedi don’t give up.’ I mean, even if he had a problem, he would maybe take a year to try and regroup, but if he made a mistake, he would try and right that wrong, so right there, we had a fundamental difference,” he said at the time.

“But, it’s not my story anymore,” Hamill continued. “It’s somebody else’s story, and Rian needed me to be a certain way to make the ending effective. That’s the crux of my problem. Luke would never say that. I’m sorry.”