Star Wars Han & Luke Test Read Video Gets BTS Glitch From Mark Hamill
Mark Hamill takes a behind-the-scenes look at the Star Wars Han and Luke preview video, taking a look at the series' casting process.
Mark Hamill responds to unearthed video of Star Wars test footage featuring himself and Harrison Ford, who will go on to play Luke Skywalker and Han Thor Han Solo's career-defining performance. Hamill portrayed the farmboy-turned-Jedi Knight in six of the nine films in the Skywalker Saga, and made cameos in the most recent Star Wars original series The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. While Ford has previous acting experience in films like George Lucas's American Graffiti and Francis Ford Coppola's The Conversations, Star Wars is Hamill's feature film debut.
Known for his active engagement with fans via social media, Hamill has been reminiscing about his casting in Star Wars thanks to a forgotten Ford preview video. The video, originally shared on Twitter in 2019, features Hamill and Ford acting out an alternate version of the classic scene where the Millennium Falcon crew discovers the destruction of Alderaan. As Twitter user larwoolf posted the video, which was then shared with the cast by CNBC reporter Carl Quintanilla, Hamill analyzed it in detail. See Hamill's reply below: ^Hamill Continued A brief Q&A session with fans who also responded to the Star Wars video, in which he further revealed that Ford hadn't been cast as the iconic smuggler when he tested the reading, and that Lucas simply engaged him in the reading to keep up with future Skywalkers unanimous. Also, astute fans will notice that the dialogue in the pre-read differs from the final cut, although the skeleton of the Star Wars scene remains largely the same. Hamill also admitted that he wanted to keep a line from Han in the final script: "I started not liking you," his response to Luke's acknowledgment that they didn't have the money to pay for his services because they were pinning their hopes on Princess Leia. Father pays his debts in Alderaan.
Line that most regrettably didn't make the final cut: "I'm beginning not to like you." ud83dude06— Mark Hamill (@MarkHamill) January 3, 2023
How This Early Version Differs From A New Hope's Alderaan Discovery Scene
However, in the final film, Han, Luke, Ben Kenobi, and Chewbacca discover Alderaan's fate together, Kenobi quickly deduces that the Empire is responsible, and the beta is only available between Han and between Luke. However, both traits are instantly recognizable, Han prefers to work things out with his clients and leave as quickly as possible, while Luke is quick Push them to find the Rebel Alliance. Test footage also revealed that Alderaan wasn't always the original name for Princess Leia's hometown, with Luke calling it "Ogana Major" instead.
Another surprise of the preview is that it appears to combine two separate scenes in the final cut of A New Hope: the discovery of Alderaan itself, and Luke and Han's fight to rescue Ryan on the Death Star. Ya and argued endlessly. Despite the discrepancies between the draft script and the final script, the apparent chemistry between Hamill and Ford explains more than just their casting. As indifferent as Ford may be to his Star Wars role, he and Hamill have proven to be steadfast friends over the years, with Hamill often poking fun at his old sidekick with surprisingly accurate impressions.
Next post: Why Mark Hamill doesn't like dubbing himself on The SimpsonsCredit: Mark Hamill/Twitter
