Mark Hamill mulls 'Star Wars' retirement: 'They don't need Luke'

Mark Hamill is ready to hang up his lightsaber for good. In a new interview with "CBS Sunday Morning," the "Star Wars" star said he’s happy with his legacy as the character, but content to be done with Luke Skywalker. "You know, I had my time, and that’s good. But that’s enough," he said. Hamill last appeared as a younger version of Luke in the Disney+ series "The Mandalorian" and an elder Luke in "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker," helping close out the most saga that began all the way back in 1977 with "Star Wars: A New Hope." The 71-year-old also thinks the franchise is ready to move on as well. "Well, you never say never. I just don’t see any reason to, let me put it that way," he said, answering if he’d ever go back to the series. "I mean, they have so many stories to tell, they don’t need Luke anymore." 'STAR WARS' ACTOR MARK HAMILL SAYS HE BELIEVES FANS ARE GETTING FATIGUED WITH THE FRANCHISE When asked about fan demand for Luke, he remains humble about his impact on pop culture. "The truth of the matter is, I never really expected to be remembered for anything," he said. ‘I just wanted to make a living doing what I liked. And I thought, it could be worse. I could be known as being the best actor who ever played Adolph Hitler. At least Luke is an admirable fellow!" The actor also opened up on wanting to switch up his career in the 1980s after the first film’s success. He ventured into theater playing the role of Mozart in "Amadeus" on Broadway, and was interested in playing the part in the film adaptation, directed by Milos Foreman. "I went in and I met with Milos Foreman, and in between, I said I’d really love a chance at playing Mozart, and he says [Hamill puts on a German accent] ‘Oh no, no, the Luke Skywalker is not to be being the Mozart.’" CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER Hamill said of the encounter, "I at least admired the fact he said it right to my face. But you know, it’s a crazy business." Tom Hulce ended up playing the role, earning a best actor Oscar, and the film earned a total of eight Oscars, including best picture. He added, "I was disappointed, but I thought, all you can do is you gotta go forward." Hamill revealed that he downplayed his role in "Star Wars" in his biography in playbills, but was told by co-star Carrie Fisher to "get over yourself" and to "accept it" that they were known for being Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia.  The actor continued to work, and found a secondary and successful career as a voice actor, appearing in countless series, the most well known being his role as The Joker in "Batman: The Animated Series." Currently, Hamill can be seen in "The Machine," comedian Bert Kreischer's film about his college adventures with the Russian Mafia. "The Machine" is in theaters now.

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