Mark Hamill has shared some behind the scenes secrets to one of the best science fiction movies of all time, The Empire Strikes Back. Taking to his Instagram last week, the actor revealed a new bit of Star Wars trivia, giving fans the inside scoop on what it was like filming Luke Skywalker’s Jedi training on the planet Dagobah.
The 1980 sci-fi fantasy movie, The Empire Strikes Back, is the second film of the original Star Wars movies. In it, we see Luke Skywalker being trained by Master Yoda in the ways of the Jedi. One of the most iconic moments in the flick is when Luke ventures into a cave and confronts a Force-induced vision of his greatest fear – him turning into a Sith, and becoming his formidable enemy, Darth Vader. The scene is a pivotal moment in the story, and ends with a shot of Luke’s face behind Darth Vader’s mask.
The scene symbolises Luke’s deepest anxieties and foreshadows the infamous reveal of Vader being his father. However, Hamill has now shared that there is even more subtext behind this cinematic sequence.
Posting an image of his face in Vader’s mask over on Instagram back in 2021, the star wrote, “dissatisfied with the look of my moulded prop head, we reshot this scene by putting my real head into the helmet from under the stage.” That’s right, it turns out that originally the scene would have been shot with a model of Hamill’s head. However, the actor insisted on using his actual body for the iconic scene.
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Hamill’s post continued: “Hardest part was not blinking or shedding a tear as they wafted smoke across my face. True story.” If the new information wasn’t already a gift to all us Star Wars fans, Hamill went on to post another picture of the scene, sharing a snap of the charming actor goofily smiling in the busted helmet.
Hamill’s continued love for the Star Wars movies reminds us why these films are still beloved, and so culturally significant today. Both the actors’, crews’, and fans’ dedication and reverence for this franchise have kept it alive and kicking.
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