The Real Reason Mark Hamill Didn't Play Luke In The 'LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special'

Mark Hamill is known throughout the galaxy for his performance of Luke Skywalker from the Star Wars films. He played the hero that many people grew up with, and he even came back for each installment of the sequel trilogy. He is also famed for his excellent voice-acting as the Joker in the Batman animated universe, and more recently, for Chucky in the Child's Play reboot. You would expect an opportunity like The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special would be perfect for his talent, yet Hamill was not cast in the special.

Anthony Daniels, Billy Dee Williams and Kelly Marie Tran are featured, as the characters of C-3PO, Lando Calrissian, and Rose Tico, but aside from those, the special mostly stars actors who did not play their characters in live-action features. The voice of Luke Skywalker was performed by Eric Bauza, who has voiced the character in three other LEGO Star Wars features. Mark Hamill tweeted his response:

I did not play the voice of Luke in the Lego Star Wars Holiday Special because:

A) I didn't want to risk tarnishing the legendary status of the original.

AND:

B) They didn't ask me to. #TrueStory

This could be a joke, because the original Star Wars Holiday Special apparently has a negative status in Star Wars fandom. If Mark Hamill had been offered the role, would he really have turned it down? Budget limitations could have been the reasons he was not offered the role, but it is unclear. Eric Bauza's previous works as the role of Luke Skywalker include LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures, LEGO Star Wars: Droid Tales, and LEGO Star Wars: The Yoda Chronicles, making his voice-acting a continuity. Disney have leaned on famous voice actors in marketing their animated films for a while now, so to have Eric Bauza voice-acting Luke has done wonders for his career. Even though Mark Hamill would have done a stellar job in the role, having played Luke in live-action, it may seem jarring to suddenly switch to a different voice actor for one feature.

It should be noted that Hamill also said something to the effect of retiring from the Luke Skywalker character earlier this year:

“I had a beginning, middle, and end. Those films gave me far more than I ever expected when we started out so it’s never even occurred to me. My farewell was in Episode IX and it was bittersweet. I love all those people and I certainly have affection for George and the character he created. I’m full of gratitude for what it has given me and my career but I don’t want to be greedy. There are still so many more stories to tell and so many great actors to tell them, they don’t need me.”

The story of The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special focuses on Rey as she discovers an artefact that allows her to travel through space and time to meet other characters from the Star Wars universe. The special has been received warmly, with a heathy dose of nostalgia and fun for fans. The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special is available now on Disney+.

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Written By Andy Bain

Syndicated From Culture Slate