Luke Skywalker has been one of the most popular characters in all of pop culture, a status that continues to this day. Now, the actor who played him has revealed a picture of himself in the role that's so old it might be the first one ever taken. It's a shot from the very first day of filming for Mark Hamill in Tunisia, the place that stood in for the planet Tatooine.
Mark Hamill dropped the image on Twitter and revealed that the first scene he shot was actually the first scene for Luke Skywalker that we see in the finished film, where the young boy emerges from his home as his uncle is making deals to buy a couple of droids. If there are, or ever were, any earlier pictures of Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker there can't be many. The number of times he was in full costume prior to the first day of shooting had to have been minimal. This is very likely where it all began.
Little did the actor, or his character, have any idea just where it was all going from here. Luke Skywalker would go on to learn all about his past, and begin training his ability to use the Force. Mark Hamill would become an instant celebrity for portraying the character. Star Wars would become one of the highest-grossing films of all time and the franchise has continued strongly to this day. Now we find ourselves waiting for Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the eighth episode in the franchise. One that we expect will feature a much older Luke Skywalker very prominently.
For what it's worth, Mark Hamill says that he did believe that Star Wars was going to be a huge hit. In response to a fan who was trying to translate the young Hamill's expression in the above picture (did he know this was his big break or was he annoyed for being up so early), the actor says that the crew of Star Wars was mainly of the opinion they were all wasting their time, but he had a feeling they were wrong.
Judging by my clueless expression, probably both. Crew was kind but thought [Star Wars] was 'rubbish' - I kept telling them, 'We're on a winner!'
While Mark Hamill may have suspected Star Wars was going to be a hit, it's unlikely he had any idea just how big it would be.
Star Wars celebrates its 40th anniversary this May, making this picture something more than four decades old. It's a great look at the history of the film that essentially invented the movie franchise. What do you think the look on Mark Hamill's face is saying all those years ago. Give us your own caption in the comments down below.
