Star Wars' Mark Hamill Pens Tribute To Carrie Fisher
By Bonnie Burton
(CBS SF/CNET) – Star Wars co-star and on-screen twin Carrie Fisher brightened Mark Hamill's life with her commitment to joy and playfulness, the actor wrote in a guest column published Monday in the Hollywood Reporter.
"My life would have been so much drabber and less interesting if she hadn't been the friend that she was," wrote Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker alongside Fisher's Princess Leia.
Fisher died December 27 at ago 60 of complications from an apparent heart attack.
Hamill recalled meeting Fisher for the first time in London before filming the first movie, now known as "Star Wars: A New Hope." He was 24 and she was 19. Despite the age difference, Hamill was instantly impressed with Fisher's maturity and candor.
"I was just bowled over," Hamill wrote. "She was just so instantly ingratiating and funny and outspoken. She had a way of just being so brutally candid. I'd just met her but it was like talking to a person you'd known for 10 years."
During the filming of various Star Wars movies, Hamill and Fisher continued to bond as friends, often with Fisher convincing Hamill to dress up in her clothes and run around the backlot to let off steam.
"She was so committed to joy and fun and embracing life," Hamill wrote. "She had an Auntie Mame quality to her. I would do crazy things to amuse her on the set. Making her laugh was always a badge of honor."
On December 27, Hamill posted an affectionate tribute to Fisher on his Facebook page: "She played such a crucial role in my professional & personal life, & both would have been far emptier without her. I am grateful for the laughter, the wisdom, the kindness & even the bratty, self-indulgent crap my beloved space-twin gave me through the years. Thanks Carrie. I love you."
Fisher and Hamill can be seen next in "Star Wars: Episode VIII," directed by Rian Johnson, which will reach theaters on December 15, 2017.
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