Whatever you think about the Disney era of Star Wars, it’s allowed Mark Hamill to emerge as one of the most wonderful human beings in the galaxy. When he’s not making fans’ days on Twitter or jumping to the defense of The Last Jedi‘s Kelly Marie Tran, he’s taking time out to give props to his stuntman for his work on The Empire Strikes Back. As well as giving us a tasty little tidbit of trivia in the process.
As Luke Skywalker, Hamill always seemed to throw himself into the action sequences of the Original Trilogy, whether it was the epic lightsaber battles with Darth Vader, running from a rabid Rancor or not connecting with kicks to the face on Jabba’s skiff. However, one stunt that he wasn’t allowed to perform was highlighted by the man himself on social media this past week.
Hamill recalls that the iconic lightsaber battle in the bowels of Bespin featured a stunt that he was excluded from by the fun police – sorry, insurance company. The stunt itself comes before Vader’s epic reveal of Luke’s true parentage, where a Force-thrown object smashes through an external window, pulling Luke out via a backflip.
See for yourself:
Credit Where Credit's Due:#1-3) My #ESB stunt-double COLIN SKEAPING did expert flip out window-He taught me how to do it w/ help from a springboard-Insurance guys were all "NOOOOO!"#4) Actually ME w/ no help from Colin whatsoever (but a little from a harness) pic.twitter.com/EL1yzOTHUX
— Mark Hamill (@MarkHamill) June 4, 2018
Although Hamill had learnt the stunt, thanks to double Colin Skeaping, the money men put the kibosh on any potential risk to the franchise and sidelined the fledgling Jedi. As usual for Hamill, he shuns any signs of hubris here and sings Skeaping’s praises, all while sharing some more interesting Star Wars trivia with his loyal fans.
