The Force was strong with Mark Hamill once more on Thursday as he received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, just over 40 years after he first powered up his lightsaber to battle the Empire and the Dark Side.
Hamill, best known for playing Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars series, was joined by Star Wars creator and director George Lucas, Harrison Ford, R2-D2, fans, and a few Stormtroopers to boot outside El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood’s Heart.
The 66-year-old actor, who starred in Star Wars: A New Hope in his 20s, took the stage with the same exuberance he’s shown at many appearances, waving to fans who lined the Walk of Fame and even drawing a heart in the air.
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“Words truly fail me,” he said. “It’s hard to convey my gratitude, my joy, the exhilaration of being recognized this way. I haven’t been this speechless since Force Awakens.”
Known for his involvement in charities including Force for Change and the Starlight Children’s Foundation, his interactions with fans online and entertaining people on Twitter with jokes, he’s become a staple for many.
Not only has he starred in Star Wars, but he has become known for his voiceover roles in TV and video games, including The Joker in Batman: The Animated Series and subsequent Batman series, Fire Lord Ozai in Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Master Eraqus in Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep.
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But Hamill still says it was Star Wars that got him to where he is today.
“Let’s be honest, if it weren’t for the genius of George Lucas, I wouldn’t be standing here today,” he said. “Whatever led me to his doorstep, he changed my life forever in a way that still reverberates today.”
WATCH: Mark Hamill thanks fans for support as he receives his star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
Ford, who played Han Solo alongside Hamill in the Star Wars series, said he was pleased for Hamill’s star.
“He has been the master of his own experience, his own life,” said Ford, adding he prepared himself for the Walk of Fame presentation by visiting the past.
“I prepared myself for this experience by going back and looking at the screen test that I did with Mark and I was surprised actually at how good he was.”
Lucas said he was very proud about Hamill getting his star, having been around for, “I don’t want to say how many years.”
He also reminisced about Hamill’s past with the franchise.
“He is extremely enthusiastic about everything he does and that’s exactly what I was looking for when I was looking for Luke Skywalker,” he said. “I was looking for somebody that’d grown up on a farm, out in the middle of nowhere — very naive about what was going in the world, young, but enthusiastic.
“Mark Hamill is a character that can’t be written.”
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The Walk of Fame is administered by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and is a major tourist attraction.
To end off the ceremony, Hamill paid tribute to his characters and thanked the fans once more.
“From Jedi to Joker and back again, it has been a fantastic ride, thank you so much and may the Force be with each and every one of you.”
— With a file from Reuters
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