Mark Hamill did a Reddit “Ask Me Anything” session with fans on Wednesday, and of course answered plenty of Star Wars questions. However, he would not confirm if he is really going to be in Star Wars: Episode VII, even if Carrie Fisher likes to keep saying that the gang is all back together.
Hamill said that he had hoped to hold off on doing the AMA until Star Wars Day on May 4, but he’s doing some charity work for the Make A Wish Foundation. He’s also doing an OMaze.com contest, giving fans an opportunity to go to Skywalker Ranch, meet George Lucas and go to the Nerdist studios.
During the AMA, Hamill revealed some behind-the-scenes trivia from Star Wars and shared other thoughts about his career. He also gave marriage advice, revealed that he recently worked with a certain Avengers actor and talked about how he got to be The Joker for Batman: The Animated Series.
Here’s some of the best answers from the session.
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10. Blue Milk
As every Star Wars fan knows, Luke Skywalker orders blue milk when he goes into a bar. Unfortunately, in the real world, it’s terrible.
“It was ghastly!” Hamill revealed. “Since it was a prop, I wanted to matter of factly have a sip, but they used this milk that doesn't need to be refrigerated. It was sweet. It's moments like that when I think, boy, I really am a good actor since I didn't gag. I can't remember the name, it comes in these triangular cartons, it's everlasting milk or something like that. I don't know if they still make it. It's sweet and syrupy and yucky. If you want to try it go to a camping store and drop some blue food coloring in it and there you go.”
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9. Childhood Superheroes
Hamill isn’t just an icon to Star Wars fans. He’s also beloved in the comic book world as the best voice actor to play The Joker. But even the best villains have heroes when they were kids.
“I used to watch superman on TV, and i loved the idea of flying,” Hamill revealed. “i used to wonder if i wanted to fly like superman or peter pan. Peter Pan looked like it was more fun, superman was so bolt straight. And i loved Zorro, the old Disney Zorro. What is it with guys with secret identities who go out and fight crime? And James bond. I loved all that stuff.”
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8. Family
Sure, he’s accomplished a lot, but it’s his family that he’s most proud of.
“I always think of more personal than professional,” he said when asked about his biggest accomplishment. “I'm so proud of my 3 children and so happy with my wife and dog and little house and acre of land. I always think a day when you never get out of your pajamas is a win.”
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7. Working with Samuel L. Jackson?
What on earth could Hamill be doing with Samuel L. Jackson? When asked what his favorite lightsaber color is, Hamill replied, “I just worked with Samuel L Jackson and he reminded me he had a purple lightsaber, which nobody had, I thought that was cool that he got his own color.”
“Mark Hamill confirmed for The Avengers 2?” one Reddit user wondered.
Anyway, Hamill said his favorite lightsaber color is green. “...I'm happy with what I had. You don't need to give me lavender or raw umber or whatever.”
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6. Old Luke should have a beard
If Luke Skywalker is going to be old on screen, Hamill wants him to have a beard. Hamill has a good explanation:
“Well based on what has gone before, I have a feeling it's beard, but I have no confirmation of that. My wife said if you grow a beard, you'll cover up your cleft chin. That's not something that occurred to me. But I can only guess. I've never read any of the novelizations or anything but someone said to me, 'you're married, you have children.' Based on Obi-Wan I would have guessed I'd be living in an igloo or something. He was more spiritual, he didn't have a wife or children. And when you find out one of the only eligible women in the galaxy is your sister, it really cuts down on your odds of hooking up with anyone. But that's not what these movies are about. The charm of the trilogy is it appeals to the child in all of us. It goes back to playing in your backyard. It's very primal, it's good versus evil, a high sense of adventure.”
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5. Meeting Harrison Ford
When Star Wars was made in 1977, the biggest name in the movie was Harrison Ford, who was just coming off of his star-making turn in Lucas’ American Graffiti. Hamill recalled meeting Han Solo for the first time.
“Well I'd seen him in American Graffiti, and I did the screen tests with him. We just fell into our character roles. Luke idolizes Han Solo, it was such a great role because Hans was the cynic, he was the modern role in this [fairy] tale. It was just the right element in the stew for all the cynics in the audience.
“I just thought Harrison was fantastic, so perfect for the part. We fell into the role of mentor/student. they couldn't have made a better choice, and he can do no wrong. He's got a great sense of humor, it was fun to try to make him laugh.”
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4. Marriage advice
Want some advice on marriage from Luke Skywalker? You’ve come to the right place!
“Well i just was lucky i found the right person. if you’re lucky enough to find your soulmate, you have to keep your fingers crossed,” Hamill told one fan who asked him the secrets of a long marriage. “A really short manual would read ‘Don’t cheat,’ because that seems to be where people break up. When you go through tricky periods you have to work on it and having children helps because you know you’re trying to find a way to make everyone happy. You know, she was my dental hygienist. I went in to get my teeth cleaned and that’s where we met.”
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3. The Joker
Hamill told the story of how he got to voice The Joker, one of the most iconic comic book villains, for Batman: The Animated Series. He was originally cast for a role in the famous Mr. Freeze episode “Heart of Ice.” When the producers discovered that he was a huge comic fan himself, they decided to let him test for The Joker and he got it.
“So when they were doing the Joker auditions I think that played a big part as they asked me to audition,” he recalled. “I thought no way would they have the person that played Luke Skywalker cast as the Joker - they are the quintessential extremes of good and evil. So I just assumed they wouldn't hire me so I went in with no apprehension. And I had been doing Amadeus on Broadway for the year. And so I was experimenting with that laugh for Amadeus and I brought it to the Joker audition and it player really well. And I felt cocky when I left and thought ‘That's the best Joker they are every going to hear - too bad they can't hire me.’ And then two weeks later when they called and said I got the job I immediately lost my confidence.”
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2. Power converters
One of the most notorious lines in the original Star Wars is Luke’s whiny complaint that he couldn’t go to Toshi Station to pick up some power converters...whatever those were. Hamill gave a nice explanation on his line delivery.
“I get ribbed for that line because it was so whiney,” he wrote. “And I remember at the time, I had to make it as juvenile as possible so that I can show how Luke matures later. So it should be embarrassing. It should be whiney and childish. But boy, has it come back to haunt me. I don't think I ever got the chance to finally pick them up.”
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1. Episode 7
Of course, someone was going to ask him about Star Wars: Episode VII. Fisher told TV Guide that she thinks all three members of the main cast are going to be back. But Hamill wouldn’t go that far.
“The only character I know for sure is returning is my friend R2-D2. He hasn’t stopped beeping about it,” he said.
He was asked again and responded, “Haha. I’m not being coy, really. When I find something out, I’ll let everybody know. But nothing has been decided yet.”
image: Mark Hamill on 'Criminal Minds'/CBS