May the 4th: Mark Hamill and James Earl Jones on Winning Their Star Wars Roles
On Star Wars Day, Mark Hamill and James Earl Jones shared anecdotes about how they landed their iconic roles in the original Star Wars film. Hamill revealed he auditioned without knowing who director George Lucas was, while Jones recounted being hired for his distinctive voice to bring Darth Vader to life. Jones, despite his legendary status, initially downplayed his contribution, referring to himself as merely 'special effects.'
- ▪Mark Hamill did not realize who George Lucas was during his initial audition for Luke Skywalker.
- ▪James Earl Jones was not credited for his voice role as Darth Vader until the end of the original trilogy.
- ▪Jones described his contribution to Darth Vader as 'simply special effects' out of respect for on-screen actor David Prowse.
- ▪George Lucas originally thought David Prowse's voice would be used for Darth Vader but sought a 'darker voice' instead.
- ▪Jones, known for his deep voice, was born in Mississippi and raised in Michigan and has a stutter.
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May the 4th: Mark Hamill and James Earl Jones on Winning Their Star Wars Roles Catherine Salgado | 3:36 PM on May 04, 2026 Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment via AP May the Fourth be with you! It’s Star Wars Day again, and in honor of one of the most popular and influential science fiction film series in history, I’m going to share clips from two of the biggest original stars talking about how they got their roles, with a bonus audition tape at the end. Advertisement googletag.cmd.push(function () { googletag.display("div-gpt-300x250_3"); //googletag.pubads().refresh([gptAdSlot["div-gpt-300x250_3"]]) }); From James Earl Jones's surprising and hilarious reaction to his first view of an iconic Vader line to Mark Hamill's (Luke Skywalker) confession that he did his whole initial…
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