Mark Interviews 1990+

Nathan Hamill: My Father The Jedi

I have always been a fan of the STAR WARS trilogy and had great fun growing up around such a fantastic fantasy world. I was glad to hear about the Special Edition of the trilogy because I hadn't seen the first two films on the big screen since the mid-1980s when my family was living in New York. Like most people my age, I grew up with the STAR WARS trilogy and they are some of my favorite films. Yes, my Dad portrayed one of the characters in the film, but that does not diminish my enjoyment of the stories.

Looking back, it is hard to write about events that occurred when I was 2 years old, but with the 20th anniversary release, I have been thinking more and more about that time in my life. My memories come more from pictures and stories that people have told me over the years, than my memory.

One of my favorite stories is when I was first born in London, England, my Dad was filming The Empire Strikes Back and there I was in the hotel, crawling around in my diapers. I have been told that Harrison Ford gave me a teddy bear that was dressed in BVDs for my crib.

I have gone to the premiers for each of the Special Edition films with my Mom, Dad, sister Chelsea and brother Griffin. I have also gone back again and again to see them with friends. Griffin enjoys them a lot, but Chelsea, at the age she is now, she takes bold pride in the fact that 'Luke Skywalkers' is her Dad. To her, and her friends, it seems like the coolest thing on the playground.

People can relate to the movies because they are very honest and pure of heart, especially Return of the Jedi, which seems to be aimed toward a younger audience. It is a fairy tale and it is most playful and joyous.

When I was younger, I liked Return of the Jedi the most, but as I got older I began to appreciate Empire more. The Empire Strikes Back is now my favorite of the three films. As a kid, I don't think I was able to understand the symbolism of Empire, in particular the scene when Luke, while in a type of dream setting, lops off Darth Vader's head only to see his own face.

It is the set up to the scene I like. When Luke notices that something is wrong about where they are and asks Yoda what is in the cave and Yoda responds, "Only what you take with you." As Luke picks up his weapon's belt Yoda says, "Your weapons, you will not need them," and within the cave Luke confronts the evil within him, setting the story up for his future confrontation with the Emperor.

Luke was a naïve farm boy and he was kind of young and he got excited over life. Dad's voice has not changed that much over the years, and the one line that people always laugh at is when he says to his uncle, in kind of a whiny, teenager voice, "But I was going to Tosche station to pick up some power converters." It is funny because it is the typical immature, high school kid kind of statement. It seems like it was from Leave it to Beaver set in space.

When I go to the theater and see the movies, I sometimes expect him to talk to me from the screen. I remember calling him after going to see one of the movies when I hadn't gotten my homework done. Well, while Luke was up there flying his X-wing across the galaxy, I could almost hear him turn to me and say, "Nathan you'd better finish your English." Then I heard that same voice on the phone when I called home after the movie. That was kind of strange.

Because Dad worked on movies and television when I was a little kid, I have always known that his work is his work and that it is make-believe. As a young child, I had to be quiet on the set and Dad would explain to me how important it was, and I never made a peep, but because I was there I knew it was a movie and that my Dad was playing a role. I remember one of my cousins being really scared when Luke's hand was cut off. My cousins are older than me, I had to be about 8 at the time, and they really thought Darth Vader had cut Uncle Mark's hand off.

Right now, I am enjoying seeing the excitement being generated around the prequels and future STAR WARS stories. One of the great things about the new movies being released is that it will be a chance to go back to that world, not knowing what to expect and being surprised by what George Lucas dreams up this time. I am anticipating the new movies to be as exciting as the first three and hope that those fans can enjoy them, while keeping their memories of A New Hope, Empire and Return alive.

When watching A New Hope, I see some of the similarities between Luke and my Dad. He told me about being on the set of A New Hope and how excited he was about 'flying cars and other cool things. And there was Harrison going, "Yeah, yeah, I've seen it kid." Dad has told me one thing that was great about the movies and the characters is that Luke and Han were a lot like my Dad and Harrison and that they had as much fun on the set as they did in the movie.

Growing up with my Dad had been a lot of fun due to his interest in comic books, toys, cartoons and other parts of fan culture. I loved being in such a young-hearted environment, which is probably why my room is decorated with toys, stuffed animals, comic books and my cherished Spumco "Three Stooges" dolls even though I am almost 18 years old.

Part of growing up as the son of the actor who played Luke Skywalker was the boxes of toys that Kenner Toys would send to us. I remember as a kid when the Kenner boxes arrived, my father, who is a collector, was tempted to save everything in the attic. He has since told me he couldn't tell me, a little kid, that I couldn't play with the toys from my favorite movies. I guess I figured out what the word "Kenner" (imprinted on the side of the box) meant at a very young age.

From those early boxes that Kenner sent I still have all those toys on display, including a few Luke heads left, only the bodies are now missing. I dropped my Darth Vader action figure down an elevator shaft in New York and my Mom had to go out and get me a new one because I refused to live without it.

The questions I get asked most often is, "Isn't it weird having an action figure of your Dad?" I suppose it seems a little strange to see his likeness on everything from Luke Skywalker Soap to my Taco Bell puzzle cube. Accepting my father's job as an actor when I was much younger, I have always been able to differentiate between him and the characters he has portrayed.

I cannot imagine that anyone knew in 1977 that A New Hope would become what it did. My Mom told me that she started dating Dad after it was filmed but before the screening. She knew that he had done this sci-fi movie, but neither of them were anticipating it to be as big as it was.

I heard my Dad say during an interview recently that he always knew STAR WARS was going to be a big thing. But I think he has been surprised by the amount of up-roar that the Special Edition has triggered as well as the continuing fan base that has lasted the last 20 years.

When we went on the Howard Stern show, Howard was asking, "Isn't it cool that your Dad is Luke Skywalker?" But to me it doesn't matter what he has done for a living. He is my father and either as Luke Skywalker or a postman, like Howard Stern's Intern, Steve Guillo's Dad, he would still be my father. And I would be happy to be his kid. Actually, he might be a little less stressed out if he had another profession.

Regardless, I am proud of all of his work and what he has accomplished - but I would be proud of him if he wasn't an actor, too.

People related to Luke's position as a young kid in the first movie because of the Wizard-of-Oz-in-boring-Kansas-feel that it has. When Luke is looking at the twin suns and wondering what is out there, what adventures are in store, it feels so real and normal. It is something I can relate to now. In the end, it is also encouraging to see this 19 year-old kid take the shot that blows out the battle station - it is optimistic and inspiring to young people.

To me, that is a big reason that the movies and the character of Luke Skywalker are so popular today. People of all ages can relate to his desire to confront his own future, and in the end he is so good at it that he wins, which we all want to do.

At 17, I am kind of anxious to get off 'this farm' to pursue my own adventures and see what I can do. If my Dad looks back at how his character Luke felt, and which he portrayed so convincingly, I am sure he knows how I feel.

STAR WARS Insider, 1997