1977’s Star Wars remains one of the most iconic films ever to be released and, nearly 50 years later, it feels like there’s still much to learn about its production. George Lucas’ film – now subtitled Episode – A New Hope – is accompanied by plenty of cool movie facts like Harrison Ford landing Han Solo due to a carpentry gig. I’ve done a lot of reading, but what I didn’t know was how difficult it was to shoot that trash compactor scene. Not only that, but I also wouldn’t have guessed the gnarly way Mark Hamill injured himself.
Garbage, Wet Suits, Smells And More Played Into This Iconic Star Wars Scene
For those who need a refresher, during A New Hope, Han, Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa and Chewbacca find themselves trapped in a garbage crusher that soon begins to close in on them. Eventually saved by R2-D2 and C-3PO, the characters experience quite the scare, but it doesn’t seem to compare to the ordeal the actors went through while shooting the six-minute scene.
Set decorator Roger Christian previously spoke with Yahoo! Entertainment about working on the scene and how he had to find suitable materials to double as junk on set. Not only that, but he also had to ensure that nothing about the liquid was toxic due to the actors having to be in it. Christian and production designer John Barry succeeded in building the set, but from there, the work got really hard. The actors eventually spent two days shooting the scene in shallow water, wearing wetsuits under their costumes.
It wasn’t easy for the actors to wear those suits, as Hamill admitted to needing to be blow-dried from time to time due to being too wet. Carrie Fisher also once spoke about getting “rashes in places you never thought possible.” On top of that, the set also had a nasty smell, and that odor was absorbed by the Chewbacca costume cast member Peter Mayhew wore. More practical issues also arose, including the challenge of finding a suitable drain pipe for Ford’s Han to use to stop the compactor walls from closing in on the characters.
Throw in a squabble between Ford and Hamill over that hatch number line and some issues with the Dianoga creature, and what we have is a story chock-full of obstacles. In time, everything was worked out, but not before Hamill injured himself in a painful way.
Mark Hamill Sustained A Nasty Injury Amidst Filming
If there’s anything that’s known about Mark Hamill, it’s that he’s a committed performer, yet I think he went a little too far for the trash compactor scene. When it came to filming the moment Luke was strangled by the Dianoga tentacle, Hamill wanted it to look realistic. He feigned fear but, in the process, he also burst a blood vessel in his eye. That injury left a red spot on one side of his face. Hamill, who’s known for sharing BTS stories, confirmed that in an X post several years back:
I purposely made myself red-faced for a strangulated look, causing a blood vessel in my eye to burst. Afterwards-they had to shoot carefully to hide it until I healed. George told me I should've asked him 1st because w/ the lighting & red-filters it made no difference.
There’s a reason some actors use the term “suffering for my art,” and, as a whole, the compactor scene embodies that notion for just about everyone who worked on it. Still, it’s all the more impressive that Lucas and co. were able to pull it off. I thank them for their efforts and will keep it in mind whenever I stream A New Hope with a Disney+ subscription. I also hope upcoming Star Wars movies and shows don’t have similar BTS ordeals.
