I think one of my favorite stories I’ve ever heard Mark Hamill tell is the one about how the first time he heard the score for A New Hope he got sort of jokingly offended because it seemed like every other character had a specific song for them and he didn’t and John Williams just looked at him and said “…The main theme is your song” and Mark was like “WHAT OMG” like he didn’t actually understand before that moment that he was the protagonist.
And this, from a recent interview:
Plus, since Harrison was a traditional leading man, and I hadn’t read the screenplay, I thought he was the star of the film, and that I was Bucky to his Captain America, that I was the kid sidekick. Because in the screen test that we did, I was kind of annoying and he was so cool. But I’ll never forget, I remember the chair I was sitting in, the one-bedroom apartment looking out at the beach looking at the sundown of the ocean, and I couldn’t believe it. I was thrown for a minute. I thought, “Wait a minute.” Because on the front page, it said “The Adventures of Luke Starkiller.” [Lucas soon changed the last name.] I said, “Wait a second. I thought I was Luke. Oh, Harrison must have been Luke.” I started reading it and then I got to where they’re describing me and I said, “Wait a second. I’m Luke!” I didn’t think I was the star of the movie, I thought it was just from my point of view.
Mark Hamill is Luke Skywalker
