George Lucas has been trusted to direct a huge number of Star Wars projects, something he has done incredibly well and had a huge hand in making the franchise as successful as it is today. This, of course, did not come easy. However, it seems that the director knows exactly what he is doing, being responsible for some of the most iconic and memorable moments from this highly successful and beloved series.
It would seem that one of the obstacles that he had to overcome, was ignoring the opinions and suggestions of others that he did not think met the standard that he was trying to portray. One such instance happened to be with Luke Skywalker’s actor, Mark Hamill, who suggested he change the entrance of the most iconic character from this franchise, something he did not listen to.
Mark Hamill Had A Suggestion About an Iconic Moment
During an interview, via Conner, Mark Hamill talked about some behind-the-scenes instances while working on the Star Wars franchise. Amongst this, was him talking about the first appearance of Darth Vader. He mentioned that this was something he wanted to watch, so he ended up showing up on set on a day that he wasn’t supposed to be there, simply because he wanted to spectate. When he saw how the scene unfolded, he was confused.
“I wanted to see Darth Vader’s first entrance, even though I didn’t work that day and I said George why don’t you cut away to two characters saying ‘Oh that’s the Dark Lord of the Sith. He’s the most powerful evil.'”
Approaching the director, George Lucas himself, he asked why the scene wasn’t done differently. What he was referring to was why the director did not cut away from Darth Vader to the people around him, talking about who this person was. Hamill believed that this would help the audience understand who the person on the screen was and why they should fear them.
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George Lucas Dismissed Mark Hamill’s Idea
While many directors have taken this route in the past, George Lucas did not do this. One of the biggest things that makes a director a good director is not the things that they show on screen, but the things that they don’t. The things that they choose to let the audience discover for themselves, not thinking of them as stupid and spoon-feeding information, but rather letting them figure out the mystery themselves. This is the approach that Lucas took as well.
“He goes, ‘No, he’s got a white background and he comes on in a black costume. We’ll play some scary music. You know, they’ll get it.'”
He told Mark Hamill that the audience was smart enough to deduce what he was trying to portray on screen. He explained that the background was white and Darth Vader was wearing all black. When he appears on screen, the music changes, turning into something much more sinister, making viewers understand that the person that they are looking at is no good guy, but in fact, evil personified.
“A writer who trusts the intelligence of their readers is pure gold.”
“I love that George’s response was: Well, the viewers aren’t idiots.”
“You gotta love the simplicity of George’s work style sometimes.”
“When an entrance requires no introduction, and actually becomes an all time classic movie moment.”
Upon hearing about this, fans of the franchise were extremely impressed, respecting the director even more than they already did, for trusting in them and believing in the fact that his viewers are extremely smart.
