It worked because it made sense even though the twist wasnt conceived byGeorge Lucasuntilafterhe shot 1977sStar Wars.
Thats what the scene was like for all of us.
It was just extraordinary the size of the picture and the expectations people had for it.
Credit: Lucasfilm
He said, You know, Darth Vader is Lukes father, and I said, No s?
I was shocked and amazed.
Secrecy was paramount, even on set.
We wrote fake pages, all different pages, Kasdan says.
The cast didnt have the pages until the last second.
I thought, wow, Alec Guinness, this icon of virtue, is secretly a villain?
Thats a great twist, the actor says.
I didnt see that coming.
Hamill wasnt told the truth until moments before the scene was shot.
Were going to dub in [the line]I am your father.
I thought, Oh my God, I was as shocked as the audience would later be.
This is so primal, nothing could top Darth Vader being your father.
Filming the scene was made even more challenging by the use of loud wind machines.
C-3PO doesnt sound like metal, he sounds like fiberglass, Hamill notes.
After filming the scene, the fake twist that Obi-Wan killed Lukes father leaked to a British tabloid.
These newspapers were offering 20,000 notes for anybody that got a goodStar Warsleak, Hamill says.
We couldnt even keep that [the fake twist] a secret for a week.
I was secretly delighted.
It blew peoples minds, Kasdan says.
I have never gone to a screening of the movie where people werent shocked, where they didnt gasp.
I would say that was the most successful secret ever kept in movies.
People were amazing about not telling other people.
Hamill recalls that at theEmpire Strikes Backpremiere, even his famously laconic costar Harrison Ford was stunned.
Harrison turned to me and said, Hey, you didnt fing tell methat.
For moreStar Warscoverage, readEWs full cover storyinsideThe Rise of Skywalker, and check out oureight new exclusive photos.
