Speaking at Fan Expo Chicago, Mark Hamill discussed the significant role that Carrie Fisher played in the Star Wars universe, describing her as the franchise’s “heart”.
Recalling how he found out about Fisher’s tragic passing in 2016, Hamill said: “My wife (Marilou York) came into the bedroom – she gets up earlier than I do – I was still asleep. She had tears rolling down her face.
“It forever altered how I reacted to Star Wars in general. The heart was gone. I don’t talk about it because I don’t like reliving it.”
He continued to praise Fisher’s integral place in the Star Wars universe.
Hamill said: “I thought that it was effortless feminism to have the princess be far from a shrinking violet. She was tough, she was telling Darth Vader off to his face – she was not intimidated by Darth Vader in the slightest.”
He recalled: “And when we rescued her, she made chumps out of Luke and Han – ‘You call this a rescue? Gimme that gun!’
“And she made us look like two stooges. I thought, ‘That’s effortless feminism’, because it’s not apologetic, it’s just showing a woman is as capable as any man” (thanks, Film News).