Star Wars' Mark Hamill: ‘If you want Luke Skywalker to be gay, he is’

Nearly 50 years after A New Hope, the actor believes anyone can and should see what they want to see in his performance Over the course of nearly 50 years, Mark Hamill has heard every question about Star Wars you could possibly ask the actor behind Luke Skywalker. But there’s a burning question he’s heard most often since the first movie swept the world in 1977: “Why didn’t Luke get married?” Which, according to Hamill, is often followed up with: “Is Luke gay?” On a recent phone call with Hamill, I didn’t need to pry to find out his go-to answer. He has a clear take on a topic that so many actors in similar positions would never in a million years take a stance on, out of fear of alienating their four-quadrant audiences. Without even a pause, Hamill asserts that because George Lucas didn't delve into Luke’s sexuality in the text of his films, the answer is whatever a given viewer wants it to be, and will remain that way forever. “So if you want him to be gay, he is,” Hamill says. “If you don't want him to be, he's not. It's whatever you want.” Hamill has confronted Luke’s unconfirmed sexuality over the years, most prominently in 2016, as he prepared for his return in The Last Jedi