Ireland

Star Wars actor felt the power of the force on Skellig Michael

Filming scenes for Stars Wars on Skellig Michael in Co Kerry made actor Mark Hamill feel like he was in another galaxy
Filming scenes for Stars Wars on Skellig Michael in Co Kerry made actor Mark Hamill feel like he was in another galaxy Filming scenes for Stars Wars on Skellig Michael in Co Kerry made actor Mark Hamill feel like he was in another galaxy

STAR Wars actor Mark Hamill has revealed that filming in Ireland for the latest instalment of the sci-fi franchise made him feel like he was in another galaxy.

Hamill spent several days in July last year filming for Star Wars: The Force Awakens on Kerry’s Skellig Michael, returning last September to re-shoot a number of scenes for one of the most anticipated films in movie history.

In a new interview with Empire magazine Hamill is coy about his role in JJ Abrams Stars Wars directorial debut, but he is effusive about the effect the Unesco world heritage site had on him.

“It reminded me of when I was in Tunisia on the salt flats. If you could get into your own mind and shut out the crew and look at the horizon, you really felt like you were in a galaxy far, far away. I had that same wave of emotion happen to me when I was on Skellig Michael in Ireland. I wasn’t anticipating it,” he says.

The film is set 30 years after the events of Return of the Jedi, with a new evil threatening the far, far away galaxy.

Hamill is joined by original stars Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher with plenty of new faces, including Oscar Isaac, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Gwendoline Christie, Adam Driver, Lupita Nyong'o and Ireland's own Domhnall Gleeson.

The 63-year-old actor, who plays Luke Skywalker in the series, also hints at how his character has changed over the years, saying: “Obviously you're seeing him in a very different time in his life. There are lots of surprises in this movie. You're going to love it.”

Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens will hit Irish and UK cinemas on December 17.