Star Wars is one of the biggest film franchises of all time, with entire generations brought up on the galaxy far, far away. Through the years franchise hero Mark Hamill has continued to be one of the biggest cheerleaders for the beloved property. And the Luke Skywalker actor recently shared a sweet tribute to late actor Peter Cushing.
Legendary actor Peter Cushing portrayed Grand Moff Tarkin in Star Wars: A New Hope, in an iconic performance that’s been watched countless times. The performance was so significant that Tarkin was digitally brought back for Rogue One with Cushing’s likeness. And it turns out that he was a legend on the set of George Lucas’ 1977 original movie. Mark Hamill shared a sweet photo of himself with Cushing, check it out below:
How sweet is that? While Peter Cushing might have been terrifying and cruel as Grand Moff Tarkin in Star Wars: A New Hope, that wasn’t the case IRL. In fact, Mark Hamill went so far as to call the late actor extremely kind and considerate. That just goes to show how good of a performer the late icon was.
The above image and sweet caption come from the personal Instagram account of Mark Hamill himself. Since Peter Cushing is in his uniform as Grand Moff Tarkin, smart money says the photo came from the groundbreaking set of Star Wars: A New Hope. Luke and Tarkin didn’t share any scenes in George Lucas’ OG movie, but that seemingly didn’t stop the pair of actors from developing a bond.
It’s almost disappointing that Grand Moff Tarkin perished aboard the first Death Star during A New Hope’s thrilling final space battle. It cut Peter Cushing’s time in the franchise short, despite his excellent performance and intriguing chemistry with Darth Vader. It’s likely for this reason that the character has returned to the franchise so many times throughout the Clone Wars and Bad Batch shows and, of course, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
The sweet words and image from the set of the OG Star Wars is partly why the dedicated fandom has continued to love and adore actor Mark Hamill. He’s super generous on social media, often reflecting on the work of late actors like the legendary Carrie Fisher. And since the galaxy far, far away means so much to the generations of fans, it’s no surprise that Hamill has amassed millions of followers on social media outlets.
While Luke Skywalker perished in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Mark Hamill continues to play a significant role in the science fiction property. He would go on to return as a Force Ghost in The Rise of Skywalker, and even play a digitally de-aged version of Luke in The Mandalorian. We’ll just have to see if/how the Jedi Knight returns to the screen again.
The Book of Boba Fett will continue the Star Wars franchise December 29th on Disney+. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.