'#StarWars lead #MarkHamill posted a behind-the-scenes picture from 'A New Hope' in remembrance of Grand Moff Tarkin / Peter Cushing this weekend on his Instagram account, with a quite touching message. Full credit to Hamill, who still has fond memories of working with Peter, all those years ago!
When #GeorgeLucas produced his passion project in the late 1970s, he was met with many obstacles along the way, including getting anyone in Hollywood to take his idea seriously. In an effort to lend the film some credibility among a cast of unknowns, Lucas opted to hire some name actors in supporting roles. This took the form of Sir #AlecGuinness in the role of Jedi Master Obi Wan Kenobi and Cushing as one of the film's primary antagonists, Grand #MoffTarkin. Unlike Alec Guinness, a prestige stage- and screen actor who seemed to treat Star Wars as beneath him, Cushing was no stranger to genre film making. The actor had made major appearances in several #HammerFilms between the '50s and '70s, often opposite Christopher Lee, that embraced high-concept storylines typical of the sci-fi/fantasy/horror genres. In Star Wars, Cushing plays Tarkin with restraint and dignity while performing often ruthless acts, making him one of the franchise's most memorable characters despite only appearing once in the #Skywalker saga.
In remembrance of #PeterCushing,
Hamill takes to social media and shares a photo of them together on the
set of the original Star Wars. The image is a black-and-white snapshot
of Cushing in full costume, while Hamill is dressed in more casual
attire. He also writes a caption paying tribute to the actor’s
gentlemanly nature and how it so starkly contrasted with the dastardly
character he brought to life.
From
their clothing, it can be assumed that Hamill was visiting the set of
his own accord, as, along with his not being in costume, Luke and Tarkin
do not share any scenes together in the film. Indeed, Hamill has
confirmed in interviews that he was a fan of Cushing’s body of work
before being cast in Star Wars and made sure to visit on one of two days
he worked on the film to speak with the silver-screen veteran. From his
caption, it seems Cushing was game to engage with his co-star on that
level of fandom.
Cushing’s
impact on Star Wars cannot be understated, with Grand Moff Tarkin being
one of the franchise's most iconic characters more than 40 years since
his debut. He has since been featured in many other forms of Star Wars
media, such as books, video games, and cartoon series like Star Wars:
Rebels. One reappearance which attracted controversy came with the
stand-alone feature #RogueOne, which included #Tarkin
via a posthumous CGI recreation of Cushing. This effect has become a
major landmark in the ongoing issue of whether it is appropriate to
“resurrect” deceased actors via the means of visual effects in order to
reprise their roles from beyond the grave. Regardless, the gesture from
Hamill is a sweet one and shows just how large an impact the actor made
on the series with such little screen time.
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