Mark Hamill got emotional while speaking about his late Star Wars castmate Carrie Fisher Friday at the Fan Expo Chicago at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois.
The 72-year-old actor chat in a Mark Hamill Live panel about his feelings more than seven years after Fisher died at the age of 60 from a sudden cardiac arrest in December of 2016.
Hamill – who starred as Luke Skywalker opposite the late Hollywood icon’s Princess Leia – said that his experience in the franchise was diminished by her death.
Hamill said that he felt ‘the heart was gone’ from the George Lucas sci-fi franchise in the wake of Fisher’s passing.
Hamill opened up on hearing the news of Fisher’s death, saying he was informed by his wife Marilou York.
Mark Hamill, 72, got emotional while speaking about his late Star Wars castmate Carrie Fisher Friday at the Fan Expo Chicago at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois
The actor spoke about his feelings more than seven years after Fisher died at the age of 60 from a sudden cardiac arrest in December of 2016. Fisher pictured in NYC in October 2016
‘My wife came into the bedroom – she gets up earlier than I do – I was still asleep,’ Hamill told the crowd. ‘She had tears rolling down her face saying that Carrie had …’
Hamill continued, ‘It forever altered how I reacted to Star Wars in general. The heart was gone. I don’t talk about it because I don’t like reliving it.’
Reflecting on the original 1977 movie, Hamill paid tribute to his late costar for bringing an ‘effortless feminism’ to the franchise by standing strong against the dreaded Darth Vader and taking command of Skywalker and Han Solo (played by Harrison Ford).
He said: ‘I thought that it was effortless feminism to have the Princess be far from a shrinking violet.
‘She was tough, she was telling Darth Vader off to his face – she was not intimidated by Darth Vader in the slightest.
Hamill quoted a line from the film in which Princess Leia told Darth Vader, saying, “I thought I recognized your foul stench”
Hamill said of the line, ‘I mean, wow! Pretty mouthy, huh?’
He opened up about a sequence in the first Star Wars film, saying, ‘When we rescued her, she made chumps out of Luke and Han: “You call this a rescue? Gimme that gun!” And she made us look like two stooges.’
Hamill – who starred as Luke Skywalker opposite the late Hollywood icon’s Princess Leia – said that his experience in the franchise was diminished by Fisher’s death
Hamill said that he felt ‘the heart was gone’ from the George Lucas sci-fi franchise in the wake of Fisher’s passing
Hamill revealed that he and Fisher had a turbulent relationship but also shared a ‘special’ connection with one another. Pictured April 16, 2015 in Anaheim, California
Hamill said: ‘I thought, “That’s effortless feminism,” because it’s not apologetic, it’s just showing a woman is as [capable] as any man.’
Hamill revealed last year that he and Fisher had a turbulent relationship but also shared a ‘special’ connection with one another.
He told Esquire: ‘We could be as loving and supportive as possible, then we could have big arguments and say, “Well, I never want to speak to you again,” and not speak for six months.
‘But every time you came back, you picked up right where you left off. We had a connection that is special.’
Fisher died at 60 on December 27, 2016 at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, four days after she had a heart attack on a flight from London to Los Angeles.
Medical examiners subsequently found cocaine, ecstasy and heroin in Fisher’s system at the time she had passed.
Compounding the Hollywood tragedy, Fisher’s mother, Singin’ in the Rain star Debbie Reynolds, died at 84 after a stroke December 28, 2016 as she was planning Fisher’s memorial.
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