Longtime Star Wars fans aren’t the only ones excited to reunite with Luke Skywalker for the upcoming trilogy — even Mark Hamill called reprising his most famous role “an unexpected gift.”
“I already had a beginning, middle and end. I never thought we’d come back,” the 62-year-old actor told BBC News at the U.K. premiere of Guardians of the Galaxy. “I thought even if they did a third trilogy, we wouldn’t be involved, because it is really about the new generation of characters.”
Hamill is joining his original 1977 co-stars Harrison Ford (Han Solo) and Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia) as well as series newcomers, such as Girls‘ Adam Driver and 12 Years a Slave‘s Lupita Nyong’o, for Episode VII in 2015.
“These kids — they are not kids — but they are so talented,” Hamill said. “We are just there to lend our support and grow contractually obligated beards.”
[BBC]
More Must-Reads From TIME
- The 100 Most Influential People of 2024
- The Revolution of Yulia Navalnaya
- 6 Compliments That Land Every Time
- What's the Deal With the Bitcoin Halving?
- If You're Dating Right Now , You're Brave: Column
- The AI That Could Heal a Divided Internet
- Fallout Is a Brilliant Model for the Future of Video Game Adaptations
- Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time
Write to Nolan Feeney at nolan.feeney@time.com