A Heat Wave In England Caused Major Modifications To Star Wars: A New Hope's Pilot Costumes
Mark Hamill is a national treasure. He frequently responds to fans on social media, does the best Joker voice in history (fight me), and has a great sense of humor about the world and his work in "Star Wars." Hamill also gives out all sorts of fun information about shooting the various projects he's been involved with over the years. Of course, some of the best stories are about the making of the very first "Star Wars" film, before it was given the moniker of "A New Hope," because no one had any idea of how huge it would be at the time.
One of the behind-the-scenes tidbits that Hamill revealed is short and sweet, but there is just something so amusing about it. Before you read this, you should know that you'll never be able to watch the scenes at the end of the film when the X-wing fighter pilots are doing their Death Star trench run without thinking about this bit of trivia.
Back in 2019, a Twitter user asked Hamill, "Seeing how it's 'national trivia day,' do you have any little known facts to bestow upon us?" As it turns out, Hamill most certainly did, and it involves a bit of stripping down on set.
Heatwaves mean less clothing
Across the pond in England, where the original "Star Wars" was shot, high temperatures were running rampant. It was so bad that the "1976 British Isles Heatwave" has its own Wikipedia page. Temperatures soared during that summer, hitting the mid-90s Fahrenheit, which is uncharacteristically hot for that region. It caused a terrible drought, and there were 16 consecutive days over 86 degrees Fahrenheit in July. That didn't make the full body pilot suits very comfortable on set. Add in lighting, which makes things even hotter, and it must have been unbearable. Hamill explained the solution that the cast came up with. He said:
"Because of a record heatwave in England when we filmed the original #StarWars, most of the pilots wore only the top-half of their costume, attacking the Death Star wearing shorts. #TrueStory"
Before you start wondering if the "wearing shorts" part of it was a lie, think about how ... um, everything would stick to the seat. I think we have to take him at his word here. It makes me think of how we all dressed "business on top, jammies on the bottom" during pandemic Zoom calls and meetings, always making sure to remember not to get up with our cameras on. So when you watch the Death Star assault next time, just know that all the pilots are much more casual from the waist down.
All the "Star Wars" films are currently streaming on Disney+.