Mark Hamill reveals he and Carrie Fisher had ‘tumultuous relationship’ that was ‘special’ connection

Mark Hamill has hit the promotional trail for new action comedy The Machine, which hits theaters on Friday, May 26.

And while the actor has played dozens of roles dating back to the 1970s, the conversation almost inevitably always revolves around the character fans will forever be known for, Luke Skywalker, in the iconic Star Wars franchise.

On this day, as he pushes his new project in a new interview for EsquireTalking about The Machine, Hamill confessed that he had “never read anything like it,” his family life as a family man, and his complicated relationship with his father.

But in the end, he couldn’t help thinking back to the role that put him on the Hollywood map, Star Wars, where he is now with the franchise, and his relationships with late co-star Carrie Fisheras well as Harrison Ford.

“I have to tell you, we had a tumultuous relationship,” the 71-year-old actor says of Fisher, who died of a heart attack in December 2016 at the age of 60.

While confessing that he and Fisher had had a “tumultuous relationship” throughout their five decades as colleagues and friends, Hamill was quick to add that they always reconnected after a disagreement as if nothing had ever happened between them.

“We could be as loving and supportive as possible, then we could have big arguments and say, ‘Well, I don’t ever want to speak to you again,’ and then not speak for six months,” the actor revealed.

He added, “But each time you came back, you picked up where you left off. We had a special bond.’

The two actors first came together for the original Star Wars (1977), now also known as Episode IV – A New Hope, which featured Luke Skywalker opposite Fisher as Princess Leia Organa.

The epic space western would become an instant classic, sending all of the main characters into celebrity orbits, including Fisher and Hamill.

The two sequels would follow: The Empire Strikes Back [Star Wars: Episode V] (1980) and Return of the Jedi [Star Wars: Episode VI] (1983), adding to their already rising celebrity.

After years of seeing each other at the many conventions for meet-and-greets with fans, Hamill and Fisher would reprise their roles in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) and Star Wars. : The Last Jedi (2019), albeit posthumously for Fisher with archival footage.

With that kind of history, it was only fitting that Hamill attended Fisher’s recent Hollywood Walk Of Fame ceremony alongside her daughter Billie Lourd, where he described her as “wise beyond her years” from the moment they first met during his speech.

Iconic: Fisher, who passed away from a heart attack in 2016, and Hamill will forever be known for their roles as Princess Leia Organa and Luke Skywalker in the original Star Wars (1977), now also known as Episode IV – A New Hope

‘Special’: After revealing that he and Fisher had a ‘tumultuous relationship’, Hamill also described their relationship as ‘a special bond’, in a new interview with Esquire

Fisher star: It was only fitting that Hamill attended Fisher’s recent Hollywood Walk Of Fame ceremony alongside her daughter Billie Lourd, where he described her as “wise beyond her years” from the moment they first met during his speech

While he was somewhat glum about his friend not being there to take the credit himself, Hamill would show his comedic side, which is how Fisher would have wanted it, he confessed.

“Her daughter, Billie [Lourde] is there. Billie’s dad, Bryan, is there,” he recalled the May 4 ceremony. And I thought it trivialized reality so much to try and put it into words. But what else can you do? I didn’t want it to be sad because I knew she wouldn’t want people to be sad.”

He continued, “But it would have been so perfect if she had been there. Not just to see how much people loved her, but because she would have made everything much funnier. She lived to make others laugh. And it was always a point of satisfaction for me to be able to make her laugh.”

Hamill himself had his moment in the spotlight on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame and received his star in 2018, in the presence of both Harrison Ford and Star Wars creator George Lucas.

“I was so touched that Harrison and George Lucas would both be there, because of course they didn’t have to be,” the Oakland, California native admitted. “I guess I don’t see it that way because I don’t have that audience perspective. I don’t see it the way other people see it.’

Hamill’s place in the Star Wars universe was further cemented as he appeared in The Mandelorian (2020) and The Book Of Boba Fett (2022), complimenting IRL performances by Hamill and his younger doppelgänger, Graham Hamilton, aging technology and AI voice wizardry, who took lines from previous films for the new performance.

Legendary: Hamill also shared how he was “so touched that Harrison and George Lucas would both be there” at his Hollywood Walk Of Fame ceremony in 2018; the three Star Wars icons are depicted in the original 1977 movie that caused the phenomenon

New Role: In his new action comedy, Hamill stars opposite comedian Bert Kreischer in The Machine, which opens in theaters May 26.

When asked if fans can expect him to reprise his role now that Disney has announced three new Star Wars movies, one of which will pick up 15 years after The Rise Of Skywalker, Hamill gives a generic answer, that’s not quite a yes or a no.

“One thing you learn working for Lucasfilm is that everything is confidential. Everything is confidential,” he says. “So if I was involved, I wouldn’t be able to tell you. And if I wasn’t involved, I wouldn’t be able to tell you. So I do not know. We’ll all find out together, I think.’

For The Machine, an action comedy starring stand-up Bert Kreischer as a fictionalized version of himself, Hamill plays Albert, Kreischer’s uptight father.

Directed by Peter Atencio and inspired by Bert Kreischer’s 2016 stand-up routine of the same name, the film also stars Jimmy Tatro, Iva Babić, Stephanie Kurtzuba, and Jessica Gabor.

The Machine will premiere in theaters across the US on May 26.