CapeTown Film Festival 2013: Star Wars Day Special Guest Luke Skywalker

As an audience of Star Wars fans had just seen Return of the Jedi as part of the festivities of Star War Day, a contest was announced for the best impression of Luke Skywalker. Two older fans were picked, one was dressed as Luke in a robe, but bald. They and a young child approached the stage, but as they made their way to the front, out of nowhere came Luke Skywalker himself Mark Hamill to a stunned crowd of fans. They had no idea he'd be in attendance. As the young padawans left the stage, so a Q and A could begin, they were offered Coraline tickets for Sunday, but declined with no words, but mere hand shakes of put those away, almost if they were trying to use the force. These were Star Wars fans, though Neil Gaiman is a nice guy and seemingly kicked out of his home for a while, he's been doing a lot in LA, he isn't a part of Star Wars. Doctor Who Yes, Star Wars No.

After a huge array of applause to the sold out show Mark sat down for a Q and A. He lifted the crowds spirits right away by doing a fairly good impression of Harrison Ford. He was explaining how much he like the group dynamic of the films with his allies. To him Luke was the upbeat kid, but the film needed the cynical Harrison Ford, so he did a small impression of him.

Of the new films he said very little, he'd only been to one meeting about it so far. Mark knew very little about the selling of Star Wars to Disney, he knew George was stepping down, but he had to find out on the internet it was sold to Disney the next day he had just talked to George about it. We learned George was good at keeping secrets and telling lies. On set Mark would ask George questions about Luke all the time on the first film. Where's my Mom, where my Dad? Why am I living with my Aunt and Uncle? George would just make up things on the spot.

Balanced CGI with models was what he did get in at the first meeting. He wants a better balance of the two to make the film look better to which the audience applauded.

Mark told of how the secret about Darth being his Dad was kept before the film came out. No one knew as the lines read were that of revealing Obi-Wan killed his father and was actually a bad guy. The voice-over process changed it to what we know today, but only a few people knew, not even the crew. The fake Obi-wan news did hit the rags back then so it proves how fast things would leak. Mark told of  small part he played in a show and how CBS leaked of his appearance even though it was suppose to be a secret.

He agreed the story element of Vader being his father was a great reveal, but with Leia being his sister he thought it was going too far. He said something like "What's next Chewbacca's going to take off his mask and a wavy haired women whose my Mom is going to come out?". He recalled saying the way Boba Fett dying irked him too during filming. That maybe why his favorite is Empire and not Return. The only thing else that got to him was how bad blue milk taste.

When fans got some questions in, the first was a request to do the Joker's laugh as Hamill has played the character since 1992. He creeped out everyone with his scary laughter, but had to close his eyes and cover his face. It's becoming a whole other person to him and seeing the Joker in cartoons and in games is like watching someone else to him. He kept up with the story of when Joker died at the end of Arkham City that it was really his final role as the character. He did add for comic book fans and fans of the cartoon a question of how many times did the Joker die and come back. A new hope for fans.