This year marks four decades since the original Star Wars hit movie theater screens, changing the pop culture world as we know it. Maybe the big anniversary of A New Hope’s release put actor Mark Hamill is a particularly nostalgic mood, because on Saturday, March 18, Hamill tweeted out a throwback photo from his first day at work on the set of Star Wars, (via Entertainment Weekly) showing him wearing his iconic orginal Luke Skywalker costume.
The photo was taken on March 22, 1976, almost 41 years ago to the day, and is very likely the very first photo of Hamill as Luke Skywalker ever taken. The shot of Hamill as Luke was taken in the Tunisian desert that served as the set for Luke’s home planet of Tatooine. You can see the photo in question in Hamill’s tweet down below:
Taken in Tunisia early morning Day #1 waiting for my 1st shot (emerging from home for robot auction)-Perhaps the very 1st #LukePic #SW pic.twitter.com/WMCGnWCotP
— Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) March 18, 2017
Shown in the background of the photo are a couple of actors in Jawa costumes. This makes sense, since among the scenes planned for day one of production include Luke and his Uncle Owen buying R2-D2 and C-3PO at auction from the nomadic desert scavengers.
In response to a fan’s comment on the photo about whether or not that day Hamill thought this would be a hit or a turkey, the actor wrote, “Crew was kind but thought [Star Wars] was ‘rubbish’ – I kept telling them ‘We’re on a winner!’” Hamill has always been on record believing that Star Wars would be a hit, even when his fellow cast mates didn’t believe in it.
After thirty-four years, Mark Hamill will have his first Star Wars speaking role as Luke since the original trilogy in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, which hits theaters this December. He’ll be joined by Carrie Fisher as his sister Leia, who shot her scenes before her untimely death last December, along with other original cast members like Anthony Daniels and Peter Mayhew, along with newcomers Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver, and Oscar Isaac.
Does this photo of Hamill as Luke give you all the nostalgic feels? And just how excited for you to see Luke in action again in The Last Jedi? Be sure to give us your thoughts down below in the comments.
Images: Lucasfilm
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