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Mark Hamill Reveals the Extreme Challenge of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back Production


It's Star Wars Day today, and while the COVID-19 pandemic is keeping the fanbase indoors, Disney is making sure that Star Wars fans get the most out of May the Fourth. Not only is there new Star Wars content on Disney+, but Disney also has a new interview with Mark Hamill about Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, an entry that many consider to be the best in the Star Wars saga.

Celebrating the 40th anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back on Star Wars Day, Disney decided to contact Star Wars legend Mark Hamill to discuss the third and final entry in Lucasfilm's Star Wars original trilogy.

Speaking by phone from his home outside Los Angeles, the Star Wars actor decided to share some of the difficulties he had working on The Empire Strikes Back. Apparently, the production of Episode VI had posed a challenge for Hamill.

"It was a really pivotal time in my life because [my wife] Marilou and I were expecting our first child," Hamill told StarWars.com.

That wasn't the only challenge of course. Aside from the added pressure of filming the final entry in Lucas' original trilogy, production was intense. The Star Wars crew had to battle the brutal elements of a cruel Norwegian winter to film the opening act of The Empire Strikes back. Hamill also demanded that he do every stunt that he could, so ultimately, work on the film was the most gruelling experience the Star Wars star had in the franchise.

All the hard work did pay off, of course. The Empire Strikes Back is one of the top tier films in the Star Wars franchise.

Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back is available for streaming on Disney+.

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