In a scene from Comic-Con HQ‘s, Pop Culture Quest starring Mark Hamill, the show’s editor discusses a line of “Severed Limbs” toys which includes the severed arm of the Wampa monster from The Empire Strikes Back.
Fans have long known that Mark Hamill was never happy with the encounter between Luke and the Wampa which ended in the furry Hoth beast losing an arm and likely his life. In this video, Mark recalls the filming of the scene in which he was assured that Luke Skywalker wasn’t going to harm or kill the advancing Wampa monster with his lightsaber.
“I’m just grazing his fur, right?” Mark asked the directors, “He’s [Wampa] is like a hungry bear, he’s not evil. So I should just scare him off.”
Despite assurances from the crew that the Wampa would receive a fatal end.
But why would directors ultimately decide on the more violent encounter that we witnessed in the film? Return of the Jedi Producer, Howard Kazanjian who is sitting beside Hamill, has a theory.
“It was also probably was to go from a G [rating] to PG”, says Kazanjian, “remember in those days, especially now, kids don’t want to go to a G movie.” Mark was quick to respond jokingly with, “Well do it to Han Solo, then!”
Along with the many charities he has worked with, Mark Hamill is a strong animal rights advocate, having also supported charities such as Precious Paws. For more information on Precious Paws, visit the official site: http://www.preciouspaws.org/
With all the good he tries to do, you can understand Hamill’s sadness in the deathly encounter his character had in the film. As one Pop Culture Quest producer said, “[Mark] is a sensitive soul.” – and fans love him for it!
Check out SEASON 1 of Mark Hamill’s Pop Culture Quest HERE: https://www.comic-conhq.com/show/85323
