Mark Hamill surprised by how 'contentious' 'Star Wars' has become

Mark Hamill has opened up about the toxicity of Star Wars fandom, insisting that he is shocked by just how divided die-hard lovers of the franchise have become.

Hamill, who shot to fame as Luke Skywalker in the sci-fi saga, opened up to Daily Beast about the constant reactions to the films, candidly admitting that he doesn’t know when or how the “fandom became so contentious.”

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“I don’t know when, over the period of time, fandom became so contentious,” he began. “But people are really opinionated, and you can’t help but be opinionated yourself, because you’ve lived with the character so long.”

“So whether it was on Episode VII, VIII or IX, I’d have disagreements, and I would say to whoever it was, ‘Well, I don’t know if that’s right.’ But everyone shares the same goal: you want to make the best movie you can.”

Hamill’s opinion on The Last Jedi has been widely discussed, as the actor openly admitted he told writer and director Rian Johnson that he disagreed with his treatment of Luke Skywalker. But at least Hamill enjoyed working with the new cast, even though he would have loved to have worked with them more.

“I love the new cast. I think the characters are great and all the actors are just perfect. I wish I’d gotten to work with them more, obviously, because I was so isolated. But you know, I never expected to come back at all.”

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“It was bittersweet, but I was able to enjoy it from a different perspective than years ago when I was in my twenties. So it was just fun to be a part of it, and it was sad in a way, because I knew it would be the last time I’d ever play Luke.”