BEREFT I still can’t get my head around the fact Carrie is gone. She should be here making me laugh
The fans are great and so supportive – I watch the audience more than a Star Wars movie. It’s rare to see so many people transfixed with joy
AS MARK Hamill prepares to give Star Wars fans what they have longed for and return as Luke Skywalker in The Last Jedi, he muses sadly on the Force that will not be with him – the actress Carrie Fisher.
Carrie, who played fearless Princess Leia, died a year ago, aged just 60, and Mark, 66, is still struggling to come to terms with her loss.
He said: “I’m angry because she should be here now, looking forward to the next one, flipping the bird and making me laugh.
“I still can’t get my head around the fact that she is gone because she was always so vital, so strong.”
The actor returned briefly to Star Wars with a cameo as Luke in The Force Awakens in 2015.
But now he is bringing his Jedi alter ego back in a big way in The Last Jedi, which is in our cinemas from tomorrow.
Carrie had just finished filming Episode VIII when she suffered a heart attack on a flight from London to LA on December 23 last year.
She died in hospital four days later, followed by her mum Debbie Reynolds, 84, the next day.
The Last Jedi makes a poignant dedication to its princess but Mark thinks it is tragic that Carrie will be missing from Episode IX, due out in 2019.
He said: “Carrie had finished what was required of her in terms of filming and as far as I know nothing has been altered.
“The tragic part of it is that there was so much planned for her in the next one.
“But I think people will really be delighted with her performance in The Last Jedi.”
The pair had been close friends since meeting on the original 1977 film and Mark had supported bipolar Carrie with her mental health problems and her drug addiction.
Earlier this year, a coroner ruled that sleep apneoa may have played a role in her death.
He also revealed that she had cocaine and heroin in her system, although it was not clear what effect they had.
But while Carrie’s loss weighs heavy on his mind, Mark still has the love of
the UPF – Ultra Passionate Fans – as he calls them.
He said: “The fans are great and so supportive, to the point that I often want to watch the audience more than a Star Wars movie.
“It’s so rare that you see so many people transfixed with joy at one time.”
Many of the fans can outsmart Mark when it comes to Star Wars knowledge.
He said: “They know more about Star Wars than I do.
“I constantly get myself into trouble because they know all the details I never could.
“They get frustrated with me when I don’t know the names of every droid and alien.”
Mark admits that even his own son showed him up for his lack of knowledge. He said: “My son gave me a Star Wars quiz and I flunked it.”
In his defence, he points out that many of the creatures were not named until after they had finished filming the original Star Wars trilogy.
He said: “Most of them didn’t have names. It was the medical droid or the dustbin robot. They were only given names when they were made into toys.”
Mark confesses that he has not watched the original films since they were first shown in the cinemas, in 1977, 1980 and 1983.
He said: “I’ve never watched them at home or anything like that, which is odd to some people, but it’s true – I really haven’t.”
Mark has been married to dental hygienist Marilou since 1978 and they have three sons.
He lost 3st 8lb before The Force Awakens – even though it was a brief cameo – and has kept the weight off.
His biggest challenge is coping with the bushy beard he had to grow. He said: “I like beards on other people but I’m not a beard person myself.
“It takes me forever to grow one then every sip of anything is on it. I go to sleep and my hand brushes it and I think a raccoon has got through the door.”
Mark and Carrie are joined in Episode VIII by the new generation, Brits John Boyega, 25, and Daisy Ridley, 25, as Finn and Rey, and Californian Adam Driver, 34, as Kylo Ren.
Fans have speculated about whether Rey is Luke’s child. But franchise owners Disney insist secrecy is key.
Mark said: “These people don’t fool around. If I let something slip about these movies, I’d be run through with a lightsaber.
“Secrecy and retaining that element of surprise is a bigger issue than ever.”
In January 1977, five months before the first film was released in the US, Mark was injured in a car crash, fracturing his nose and cheekbone.
After surgery to rebuild his nose, he went on to star in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. He said: “I appreciate the fans but I can’t say I enjoy the fame. I much prefer voiceover work and the anonymity that comes with that. I don’t need applause or fame and for that reason Star Wars is often a little too high profile for me. “It’s overwhelming. I’m just here trying not to mess it up.” The films have grossed £5.5billion, making Star Wars the third biggest franchise behind Marvel and Harry Potter. Mark said: “The first Star Wars opened in 32 theatres. There was no TV ad campaign – we didn’t even have a poster. “It was only after it opened and because of the reaction that all that came together. “If it wasn’t for the fans, none of this would be happening.” It was a sentiment shared by Carrie, who once said: “It’s about family, that’s what’s so powerful about it.” It is that kind of insight that makes her Mark and the fans’ best-loved Disney princess.