The Luke Skywalker actor ventured to the dark side for the star studded event in Los Angeles.
Mark Hamill surprised and delighted Star Wars diehards on Thursday evening in Los Angeles, when he appeared at a live reading of The Empire Strikes Back at the Ace Hotel Theatre. Hamill joined stars including Jessica Alba, Aaron Paul and Ellen Page at the reading, which was hosted by director Jason Reitman as part of Film Independent’s Live Read series.
Mark Hamill took on a different role during a live reading of The Empire Strikes Back
But Hamill wasn't in his familiar role of Luke Skywalker, instead he joined the dark side for the evening, reading the role The Emperor as well as mimicking Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan Kenobi. As the audience gave the Star Wars icon a standing ovation Hamill joked, “I hope I pass the audition.”
More: Mark Hamill: 'Star Wars The Force Awakens' Is About "The New Generation Of Characters"
With the man himself looking on, Aaron Paul took on Hamill’s role of Luke Skywalker, while Jessica Alba played Princess Leia. Dennis Haysbert became Lando Calrissian for the night, Rainn Wilson provided Chewbacca's growls while Reitman favourite J.K. Simmons’ did his best Darth Vader.
Providing some comic relief was Stephen Merchant as C-3PO and Kevin Pollak as Yoda. But one of the biggest surprises of the night came from Ellen Page who was cast in the role of Hans Solo. Despite some initial scepticism over the casting, Page put in a perfect performance as Solo, capturing the anti hero character perfectly.
More: Mark Hamill Expects 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' Script To Leak
The actors read from a slightly different The Empire Strikes Back script than most fans were used to, as Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan’s final script was combined with several drafts. However, despite a few unfamiliar lines, there were no drastic alterations to the plot or any of the characters.
Ellen Page took on the role of Hans Solo for the evening
After the thunderous reception for J.J. Abrams' Episode VII: The Force Awakens two years ago,...
Director Dave McCary makes a superb feature debut with this offbeat black comedy, which explores...
When James Pope was just a baby, he was kidnapped from the hospital in which...
After the release of The Force Awakens at the end of 2015, Disney and Lucas...
For the majority of Star Wars fans, Episode 7 ended in just the right place...
Appealing both to a new generation of viewers and fans of the series since the...
After the victory of the Rebel Alliance over the Galactic Empire and subsequent demolition of...
It's been thirty years since the Rebel Alliance; led by the noble Luke Skywalker, the...
The cast and crew of the hugely anticipated upcoming 'Star Wars' movie 'The Force Awakens'...
Secret Cinema's Star Wars event is a mind-blowing experience of a lifetime for any Star...
30 years ago, the Rebel Alliance struck their killing blow against the Galactic Empire. The...
The Rebel Alliance struck a terrific blow to the Galactic Empire with the destruction of...
The galaxy is in turmoil. A Rebel Alliance is rising up against the villainous Galactic...
The Rebel Alliance has fallen into an incredibly dark time. With the destruction of their...