Mark Hamill Talks Keeping Star Wars Secrets

Mark Hamill's involvement in the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens has been a point of much discussion. The character he played in the original trilogy, Luke Skywalker, has been nowhere to be seen in the new movie's marketing materials, a point that director JJ Abrams has said is "no accident." Naturally, this has led to some wild theories, plausible and otherwise, about what role Skywalker may play in the film.

Now, in a new video interview with PC Gamer (above) regarding his role in Star Citizen, Hamill shared some insight into the secret-keeping business of Star Wars, past and present. He says he signed a non-disclosure agreement for an upcoming project, believed to be The Force Awakens, with a stipulation that he would be paid a sum of money if some mysterious secret never gets out.

"I have something coming out where there's an amount of money where if it leaks, because of me, I don't get that payment," he said. "If I keep it a secret until the day it comes out, I get that payment. But I'm good about keeping secrets."

He didn't say what the sum is, but we'd guess it's no small figure, considering the enormity of the Star Wars franchise.

"I'm not even authorized to tell you I'm in Episode VII. It's all secret" -- Hamill

Hamill goes on to talk about how he knew the true identity of Darth Vader about 1.5 years before the release of The Empire Strikes Back. He didn't even tell Han Solo actor Harrison Ford or his own wife.

"[Director Irvin Kershner] said, 'I know something I'm going to tell you, [Star Wars creator George Lucas] knows, I know, and I'm going to tell you. And if it leaks, we'll know it's you,'" Hamill recalled.

He described the revelation that Vader was actually Luke Skywalker's father as a "mind-boggling plot twist." Immediately after this, Hamill says "now it's happening all over again" with The Force Awakens.

"I'm not even authorized to tell you I'm in Episode VII. It's all secret," he said.

It's unclear if Hamill's "happening all over again" line is referring to an "I am your father"-level plot twist, or only the secret-keeping nature of his role in the movie. Whatever the case, we're excited to see The Force Awakens next month and finally learn what role Luke Skywalker has to play.

The Force Awakens opens on December 18. Share your Luke Skywalker theory in the comments below.