On the set of Star Wars, the lead actor of the film, Mark Hamill, had to learn what it meant to face a true acting legend. As a consequence, he received a slap in the face.
When George Lucas released Star Wars in theaters in 1977, no one had any idea what the film would eventually become. Not even Lucas himself believed in the success of his space opera. It made him and the actors on screen famous.
Among them was, of course, Mark Hamill, who entered film history as Luke Skywalker. Although he had already appeared in a few smaller roles in television series, Star Wars marked his breakthrough.
The filming was anything but simple for Hamill. Not only did he carry the film on his shoulders as the lead actor and had to say some rather strange lines, but he also had to navigate his colleagues on set. Among them was a legendary actor at the time who wanted a simple rule to be followed on set.
Don’t mess with Obi-Wan!
Which actor is it about? The most famous name in the cast of Star Wars at the time was Alec Guinness. The British actor had been in the film business for a long time and had appeared in many well-known films, including Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago.
In Star Wars, he played Obi-Wan Kenobi, who is visibly older and living in seclusion on Tatooine in Episode 4.
Guinness knew, of course, how famous he was and therefore established a rule. He wanted to be addressed by his plain name. So: Alec Guinness.
The “problem” was that the actor had already been awarded the title “Sir” by the British government at that time. This title is given to individuals who have distinguished themselves through exceptional achievements.
Mark Hamill was aware of the “Sir” and wanted to behave correctly. In an interview from the making of Star Wars on YouTube, he recounts how excited he was to meet Alec Guinness and act in the same scene:
I always addressed him as “Sir Alec.” He then tapped me twice and gave me a pretty good slap. I asked what that was about. He said: “I want to be known by my name, not my title.”
Mark Hamill
This simple rule must have slipped Hamill’s mind, or he perhaps ignored it deliberately because he wanted to seem as polite as possible. After the slap, he likely would not have forgotten it again. In the end, Hamill describes working with Guinness as good and humorous. By the way, did you know: Star Wars exists only because George Lucas did not receive permission to make a popular sci-fi film
