Star Wars has been inspiring fans since the 1970s, and even though the Skywalker saga has come to an end, Disney doesn't plan for the magic to stop anytime soon. Taika Waititi is attached to a new movie, and Disney Plus is busy with The Mandalorian and their proposed new televisions showed based on Cassian Andor and Obi-Wan Kenobi.
It isn't just the characters and storylines that excite fans, but the magic that goes on behind the scenes as well. The friendships between the cast members and their real-life stories live on in the hearts of fans almost as much as the fictional ones. Here is a list of 10 endearing, behind the scenes facts about the Star Wars franchise.
Oscar Isaac & Carrie Fisher Danced Between Takes
Since Carrie Fisher's passing in December of 2016, some of the Star Wars cast has opened up about what she meant to them. Poe Dameron and Leia Organa share a mother/son-like relationship in the sequel trilogy, and in real life, Oscar Isaac and Carrie Fisher also had a tender bond.
Isaac has spoken fondly of their time together and says that they used to talk, hug, and dance together on set. "I would offer her my hand and we would waltz around the set – on a starship, in a Rebel base, on an alien planet, and she would sing and we would dance."
Grand Moff Tarkin Wore Slippers
Grand Moff Tarkin is the original trilogy antagonist that gave the cruel order to blow up Princess Leia's home planet of Alderaan. Much of the time that Peter Cushing was intimidating troopers and officers alike as the stern Grand Moff, he was wearing a pair of comfortable house slippers.
The actor was given costume appropriate shoes, but they were uncomfortable, and caused him terrible pain. The compromise was the slippers. In the shots where his feet were not shown, Cushing was most likely wearing the more relaxed footwear.
Carrie Fisher Gave Advice To The New Cast
Carrie Fisher had decades of practice of being idolized to uncomfortable levels under her belt before the sequel trilogy went into production. She was known to give advice to some of the newer members of the cast, from negotiating with producers, to tips for dealing with the press and the fans.
Fisher playfully told Daisy Ridley in an interview, "you keep fighting against that slave outfit," and when Adam Driver had his own concerns, he fondly remembers her telling him, "just pretend you're down to earth, people love that sh**."
Mark Hamill Hated The Blue Milk (But The Green Milk Was Great!)
Fans may remember that Luke Skywalker helped himself to a cup of blue milk with Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru in A New Hope. Mark Hamill has elaborated on the experience since the opening of the Disneyland attraction Galaxy's Edge.
He describes the blue milk, saying "the warm, oily, sickly-sweet milk dyed blue from the movie was gag-inducing" as opposed to the popular amusement park's sweet version of the drink. He later added that the green milk in The Last Jedi tasted just fine because it was just coconut milk that had the greenish color added to it in post-production.
Kelly Marie Tran Is A "Shipper"
Kelly Marie Tran plays the kind and heroic Rose Tico, first introduced in The Last Jedi. The actress herself might be even more adorable behind the scenes than her on-screen persona. She openly admits to being a huge Harry Potter fan, and she is also an enthusiastic "shipper."
Along with many fans, she roots for relationships between certain characters, whether the romance is canon or not. "I’m openly a Finn/Poe shipper—Stormpilot, Finn/Poe, whatever you call it.” Another popular ship the actress has talked about in interviews is Kylo Ren and General Hux (aka Kylux).
Samuel L. Jackson Asked For His Purple Lightsaber
The original trilogy has three colors of lightsabers – blue, green, and red. Before the prequels, it was widely accepted that these were the only options for the crystal-based weapons. Samuel L. Jackson played a big part in changing that.
Jackson played Mace Windu in the prequel films and wanted something a little different, so he asked George Lucas himself, "You think maybe I can get a purple lightsaber?" Though it wasn't the original plan, he got his purple lightsaber. Since then, colors such as yellow and white have also been introduced to the franchise.
Oscar Isaac Campaigned For Poe To Be LGBT
LGBT representation in media has become increasingly important in recent years, and having popular actors on board is a vital step in making that happen more. Oscar Isaac has been campaigning for "Stormpilot," a ship between Poe and Finn, to be canon since The Force Awakens.
Isaac has brought up the potential romance since early interviews, and he claims that he has been playing the relationship between Finn and Poe as romantic since day one. Isaac had no qualms voicing his disappointment in Disney when The Rise Of Skywalker chose not to explore that storyline.
Ben Mendelsohn & Mads Mikkelsen Had Sing-Alongs
Director Krennic and Galen Erso are friends turned foes in Rogue One: A Star Wars story, but behind the scenes, there was nothing but hugs, laughter, and playful reminiscing between Ben Mendelsohn and Mads Mikkelsen.
The Hannibal actor told interviewers that once the director called cut, Mendelsohn used to break out a song or dramatic recitation, and sometimes they would even sing together. "I thought he was reciting Shakespeare or something to get himself into camera. I would listen carefully and realize he was singing 'Billie Jean' by Michael Jackson! And even Frozen, I think."
Mark Hamill Had No Idea Carrie & Harrison Were Having An Affair
Carrie Fisher opened up about her affair with co-star, Harrison Ford, during the filming of the original trilogy in her book The Princess Diarist, but Mark Hamill says that he was "blissfully unaware" of the affair during production.
In one chapter, Carrie talks about an instance when she was certain that they had been caught when Hamill stopped by one morning after Ford and Fisher had one of their "sleepovers." However, the young actor had no clue that anything was awry. "They could've been doing it in front of me and I wouldn't have noticed."
JJ Abrams Cast Greg Grunberg Because Of A Promise They Made To Each Other As Kids
Fans of JJ Abrams have probably noticed that Greg Grunberg has made more than a few appearances in the director's work, including LOST, Felicity, Alias, and as Snap Wexley in The Force Awakens and The Rise Of Skywalker. The two have been friends and avid Star Wars fans since childhood.
Abrams has said that they used to dream up ideas for plots and had planned as kids to make their own Star Wars movies together. It's only natural that Abrams decided to cast his friend when he got the chance to direct a film in the sequel trilogy.