Sebastian Stan Teases Iconic ‘Star Wars’ Role

Disney and Lucasfilm have been relying on technology to bring to life a young Luke Skywalker in the Disney+ Star Wars series The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, but some fans have been calling on the studio to cast Sebastian Stan in the role. Stan, who plays Bucky Barnes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has a shocking resemblance to a young Mark Hamill, which has lead many to assume he’d be perfect for the part. In a new interview for Esquire, Stan said he was flattered by the idea.

“Look, it’s really kind. Never say never,” Stan told Esquire while promoting his new Hulu series Pam and Tommy. “Mark Hamill is my father, you know, and he knows that, and I call him every Christmas to tell him, ‘Just want you to know I’m around.’ It’s really terrifying.”

This is not the first time either Stan or Hamill have talked about The Falcon and the Winter Soldier star playing Luke. During a stop on Good Morning America in March 2021, Stan said he wanted Hamill to personally give him his blessing. “Well, if Mark Hamill calls me personally to tell me that he feels inclined to share this role with me, then I’ll believe it,” he said at the time. “Until then, I won’t believe it.”

Hamill has also joked about the fan-casting of Stan, noting just how similar the two actors look. “Sorry to disappoint you but I refuse to say, ‘Sebastian Stan – I AM YOUR FATHER!’ (even though, in fact, I am),” Hamill joked in September 2017.

Hamill also praised Stan as a “wonderful actor” while promoting Star Wars: The Last Jedi in 2017. “People say, ‘Will you support him to be the young Luke Skywalker when they make those movies?’ And I thought, he doesn’t need me,” Hamill said at the time, notes ComicBook.com. “He’s an accomplished enough actor to get it on his own. And I shouldn’t put my thumb on the scale because it’s not my choice. It’s Disney and Lucasfilm, and I don’t want to cut short any other potential Lukes… But I’d love to work with him. Heck, I’d play his father any day.”

Hamill reprised the role of Luke Skywalker in Disney’s Star Wars sequel trilogy, since those movies were set over 30 years after Return of the Jedi. However, The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett are both set closer to ROTJ, so Disney and Lucasfilm have used a combination of CGI, body stand-ins and older footage to include Luke onscreen, while Hamill provides the voice.

Meanwhile, Stan can definitely be seen in Pam and Tommy, the Hulu limited series about Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee’s marriage. Stan plays Lee, while Lily James plays Anderson. The first three episodes were released on Wednesday.