Star Wars' Adam Driver Debunks One Big Mark Hamill Rumor
"Star Wars" sequel trilogy star Adam Driver wants the world to know that he has no beef with the franchise's iconic Luke Skywalker actor, Mark Hamill.
In an appearance on "The Rich Eisen Show," Driver cleared up any misconceptions about not wanting to spend time with Hamill while filming "The Last Jedi." In the trilogy, Driver plays the villainous Kylo Ren — aka the former Ben Solo — who became estranged from his parents, Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher), in his youth after his Jedi training with Luke fell apart.
During Eisen's "Celebrity True or False" segment, the host asked Driver if he didn't want to meet Hamill because he didn't want to break his commitment to stay in character. "False. I'm so glad you're asking me about that. [It's] totally false ... There are so many things [about] 'Star Wars' that are totally false. No, it was literally a thing of scheduling."
The "Ferrari" star explained that he and Hamill did meet up and that he wanted to get together at some point to talk about playing Kylo Ren. According to Driver, Hamill was all for it. "Our schedules were not on the same page, so it really was just a matter of scheduling. It wasn't because I wanted to stay in character," the actor said. "You know, I love Mark. I was not going to turn down dinner with Mark to talk about the character. That would be crazy."
Driver at least got the chance to meet up at various promotional events for "The Last Jedi," including the film's premieres in Japan and Hollywood.
Driver admitted to some rumors that were true
The "Celebrity True or False" segment also saw Adam Driver address some other "Star Wars" rumors, some of which he confirmed to Rich Eisen were valid. Among them was the fact he took home Kylo Ren's costume and lightsaber after filming was complete on "The Last Jedi."
"I steal stuff from movies and go and pray to myself or whatever," Driver said with a laugh.
Another rumor that Driver validated was that he initially turned down the "Star Wars" sequel trilogy. "I wanted to think about it. It was when we were shooting 'Girls,' and I was a fan of 'Star Wars' and I didn't want it to be bad," the actor said.
Driver also took the show host through the steps that led to him signing for the role of Kylo Ren, which, not surprisingly, was a process that was shrouded in secrecy. He said "Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens" co-writer and director J.J. Abrams verbally guided him through the steps of the film, but he wasn't allowed to see the script until he signed on to do the film. Driver also remarked how he didn't feel the path of Kylo went in the exact direction he was told it would when he initially signed on to star in the film trilogy.