Mark Hamill Shares Poignant Tribute To Carrie Fisher Ahead Of Star Wars: The Last Jedi

The Skywalker Twins are about to share the screen one final time…or are they?

Going into the release of The Last Jedi, many had assumed that Luke and Leia, the star-crossed siblings of Lucasfilm’s Star Wars franchise, would reconvene and help spearhead the remnants of the Resistance. But now Rian Johnson isn’t so sure.

Of course, the filmmaker is likely dodging questions left, right, and center in order to retain some semblance of mystery around The Last Jedi‘s story – and you can hardly blame him, given it’s on the verge of becoming the must-see movie of 2017. But even if Luke and Leia are robbed of their long-requested reunion, Mark Hamill has nothing but fond memories of the late, great Carrie Fisher.

The franchise mainstay recently appeared on The Ellen Show (via Cinema Blend), and it was here where Hamill delivered a poignant tribute to his on-screen sibling.

She’s like an irreplaceable member of the family, but the whole world feels that way. We are all sort of mourning her. I always think of her in the present tense. I don’t think of her in the past. Any time you were with her it was just fun.

Mark Hamill echoed that sentiment in another interview with Rolling Stone, where he recalled the sibling bond they shared on and off set.

There was now a comfort level that she had with me, that I wasn’t out to get anything or trying to hustle her in any way. I was the same person that I was when she knew me. I was sort of the square, stick-in-the-mud brother, and she was the wild, madcap Auntie Mame.

All of those emotions have come flooding back now that The Last Jedi is teetering on the verge of release, though we should stress that Leia’s involvement in the imminent sequel was completely unaffected by Carrie Fisher’s untimely passing, despite reports to the contrary.

She’s also “wonderful” in the movie, as Hamill tells Rolling Stone:

I just can’t stand it. She’s wonderful in the movie. But it adds a layer of melancholy we don’t deserve. I’d love the emotions to come from the story, not from real life.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi will double as a fitting farewell to the late, great Carrie Fisher on December 15th.