Mark Hamill Defends Jake Lloyd, Comments on Negative Reactions to the Prequels

By: Dominic Jones

Luke Skywalker actor Mark Hamill spends a lot of interviews these days dodging questions about future Star Wars films he can't talk about.  The rest of the time, he's telling stories about the Star Wars movies he was already in.  But, what about the Star Wars films he wasn't in?  While Hamill typically avoids talking about the Prequels, he did have some thoughts about the intense, over-the-top negative reactions to the Prequel trilogy in a recent interview with Vulture.  In the interview, Hamill stands up for Episode I Anakin actor Jake Lloyd and reveals that he was nearly tricked into appearing in the documentary The People Vs. George Lucas.  You can see the interview for yourself below,

On the treatment of Jake Lloyd by some Star Wars fans,

“I’m still angry about the way they treated Jake Lloyd. He was only ten years old, that boy, and he did exactly what George wanted him to do. Believe me, I know clunky dialog.”

Hamill also shared the story of how he was approached to appear in the documentary The People Vs. George Lucas, saying,

“I almost got hornswoggled into that documentary. They weren’t calling it ‘The People vs George Lucas’ at the time. But I could tell from the questions they were asking me that it was an open invitation to trash George. And I have issues with George, but I love that man I would never…you know I don’t talk outside the family. It’s just brutal…”

Quite frankly, it's nice to see Hamill call out some of the nonsense that goes on in the fan community.  It's one thing to not like the Prequels (or Sequels or Originals for that matter), everyone is entitled to their opinion and to share that opinion, but the level of vitriol leveled at those films is, as Hamill points out, quite laughable at times and depressing at others.  I'm of the opinion that the treatment of Jake Lloyd will go down as one of the darkest chapters in Star Wars fandom.  Like Hamill points out, he was only ten and they way so-called adults treated him was pathetic. 

Source: Vulture (Facebook)

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