Mark Hamill was forced to keep the shocking twist that Darth Vader was his alter-ego Luke Skywalker’s real father in the ‘Star Wars’ franchise a secret for a year and a half.
The 66-year-old actor – who plays the main protagonist in the sci-fi fantasy film – was told not to tell anyone about the unexpected turn in the ‘Return of the Jedi’ in 1983 by director Irvin Kershner and he has admitted he felt such relief when the secret became public knowledge because he felt "burdened" with it for such a long time.
Speaking on ‘The Graham Norton Show’ last night (15.12.17), he said: "By the second film, that’s when the scrutiny became more intense. There was a wonderful substitute revelation in that scene. In that scene, the way we filmed it, Vader said, ‘You don’t know the truth, Obi-wan killed your father’. The idea of Alec Guinness being the real villain, I thought, wow, what a spectacular twist! He [Kershner] said: ‘If it leaks, we’ll know it was you.’ He handed me the piece of paper that said, ‘I am your father’. I was shocked. I just said, ‘Is that true?’ He said: ‘Search your feelings and we’re going to play it like it is true!’ Then I was paranoid… It was way before social media and all that, but I had to keep the secret for like a year-and-a-half."
Hamill even had to keep his lips locked when he was speaking to his late co-star Carrie Fisher – who played his on-screen twin Princess Leia Organa – and Harrison Ford, who portrayed Han Solo, because he knew they’d spill the beans.
He explained: "I didn’t tell [Carrie]. You know, telephone, telegraph, tell-a-Carrie. Harrison and I would test her. If you really wanted to get something out fast, you’d ask Carrie to keep it in her confidence. Then out it would go. So, at the screening, when that happened, Harrison turned to me and said, ‘Hey kid, you didn’t f**kin’ tell me that!’… I was so thrilled [it was out] because I didn’t have the burden of that."
Mark Hamill kept Star Wars twist a secret for a year and a half
