Most of the actors only found out about the big secret in Star Wars at the premiere of the film

A famous quote from Star Wars was kept secret during filming. Only the lead actor knew about it, which led to a big surprise at the film’s premiere.

Star Wars has produced some lines that have become etched in the collective memory of fans.

“I have a bad feeling,” “May the force be with you,” or Master Yoda’s grammatical twists – to name just a few examples. At least one quote is sure to have reached the ears of people who otherwise have no interest in Star Wars.

We are, of course, talking about “I am your father”. If you have never heard of it and don’t know the context within the films (and don’t want to know), you should stop reading here. Everyone else will find out the story of this sentence below, which caused quite a lot of effort during filming.

By the way, one of the most interesting characters from the expanded universe of Star Wars never made it into the films.

A well-kept secret

What’s the story? Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker in the original trilogy, parts 4-6, talked about the filming on the Graham Norton Show. Even with the first Star Wars, there were hardly any guidelines regarding secrecy. Hamill himself gave the script to friends to read and didn’t think much of it, except that he found some of the sentences in it simply awful.

In part 2, episode 5, things were different. The line “I am your father” was top secret and was not in the script. On set, the actor who played Darth’s father instead said the line: “You don’t know the truth. Obi-Wan killed your father.”

David Prowse, who at least physically portrayed Vader, knew nothing of the true content of the scene. Neither did the rest of the cast. Only Mark Hamill himself was taken aside by the director and informed of the twist.

The actor was shocked by this development of his character and at the same time had to commit to keeping the secret to himself for the remaining year and a half until the premiere. When the time finally came, Harrison Ford, who played Han Solo, is said to have leaned over to Hamill during the screening and said: “You knew about this?”

The quote quickly became known after the film’s release and is now one of the most famous in film history. The actor who subsequently recorded the line in the recording studio and is considered legendary based on his voice alone recently passed away. Players in the MMORPG SW:TOR have now gathered to commemorate James Earl Jones.