When it comes to Star Wars, the one person everyone should instantly trust is Mark Hamill. The man has been integral to the series since Day One, and precious few understand the importance of secrecy behind Star Wars and its stories than Hamill. That doesn't mean he loves it. In fact, he sees a few problems with it, and he didn't mind sharing them.
Mark Hamill was a premier panel at this year's Star Wars Celebration, being held in London. He sorrowfully shared that details about Star Wars: Episode VIII were off the table (sorry, fans) -- but he also candidly admitted to the gathered crowds his blunt opinions on intense secrecy that surrounds every Star Wars project. Spoiler alert: He hates it. Said Hamill:
It can be really annoying and intrusive. You look at the call sheet, and there are no names. Everybody has a number. ... They aren't doing it to annoy you. They just want the surprise to be in the movie, and not on the Internet. ... But it can get really annoying, with the pages being shredded each day. It's for YOUR viewing pleasure.
Mark Hamill, in describing the process, made it sound like an annoyance for actors, particularly ones who have been doing it as long as he has. He joked that in his old age, he now needs full pages of scripts so that he can take copious notes, and not knowing who the people in his scene are can be a real pain when one if trying to properly prepare.
At the same time, Mark Hamill totally understands the need to covert operations in the modern movie world. There are few projects under more intense scrutiny than a Star Wars project, and the possibility for a leak is omnipresent. And Hamill makes an excellent point when he notes that a LOT of time and effort goes into these films, which often take years to produce. Do fans really want to know that Han Solo dies because they read it on the page? Or do they want to see a tragic scene like that play out on the big screen.
I think most of you reading this would side with the latter.
Star Wars Celebration, so far, has delivered a ton of information on Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. And we hope to have more details on Star Wars: Episode VIII and the Young Han Solo movie after a Sunday panel on the future ofStar Wars. So stay tuned to CinemaBlend for all of the details, and as Mark Hamill warns, don't spoil anything!
