The Skywalker name carries a lot of weight within the Star Wars galaxy, and playing Luke Skywalker even more so, which is why the actor cast to play a young version of the Jedi Master in Obi-Wan Kenobi might be happy to hear Mark Hamill is rooting for him.
Hamill, of course, first became famous due to his portrayal of Luke in the original Star Wars trilogy, a role the actor has always kept close to his heart and was happy to reprise in the recent sequel trilogy, as well as occasional marketing campaign and special cameos. However, given how bad of an experience it was for the last actor who played a Skywalker child, Hamill is now happy to use his force powers to cheer on the newly-cast Luke, 10-year-old Grant Feely.
As usual, the ever-active Hamill took to Twitter to voice his support for the young child actor. Hamill said he looks perfect for playing a kid version of himself during Luke’s childhood in Obi-Wan Kenobi. Feely's past acting experiences came in the TV series Creepshow and a music video, so having the full power of Hamill’s #TheForceIsWithFeely is bound to give the young actor more exposure than he’s ever had before.
Such words of encouragement were warmly welcomed by Feely, whose account sent out a reply tweet. In the post, Feely described the opportunity as an honor noting how high Hamill set the bar for others, such as his CGI stand-ins. Prior to the casting announcement a few days ago, the Obi-Wan Kenobi star had teased fans with the idea of a young Luke making an appearance by saying it was definitely possible.
A young Luke is certainly something to look forward to, since the character is such an integral part of Star Wars that The Mandalorian and most recently The Book of Boba Fett's most epic cameos were the CGI-made versions of a younger Hamill. Nevertheless, it’s a great sign to see Hamill back the young child, considering the effects his involvement in the franchise had on the youngest Anakin Skywalker, retired actor Jake Lloyd.
Lloyd was always quite vocal about suffering bullying and constant mockery at a very young age after The Phantom Menace, which had a markedly negative impact on his upbringing. Hopefully, the world has changed enough so that Feely's time in Star Wars can give the kid some fantastic memories, and maybe a job or two in the future if he follows Hayden Christensen's Darth Vader footsteps, acting wise only of course.
Obi-Wan Kenobi premieres on Disney Plus on May 25, 2022.
Source: Mark Hamill | Twitter