ROTJ: Mark Hammill & Harrison Ford....Who got paid more???

Here in the UK there was the show 'Bringback Star Wars', which I'm sure is lurking about on youtube or somewhere.

Anyway Carrie Fisher reveals that by ROTJ she sensed there was a bit of jealousy by Hamilll towards Ford. As at that stage (1983), Hamill's career wasn't going much beyond Star Wars, where as Ford's star had risen quite substantially (he'd had starring roles in epic films like Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Blade Runner).

What I want to know is who got more money for ROTJ out of the two

Mark Hamill is in the main role, but his star power was smaller

Harrisson Ford had the smaller role, but his star power was greater

p.s: Remember Han Solo doesn't make an appearance until about 45mins into ROTJ when he is unfrozen from the carbonite

 

I'd be willing to bet Ford was the highest paid actor on the set because of his other famous roles. Hamill needed a better agent.

 

Next you'll be saying that Marlon Brando was the highest paid actor in Superman despite only being in the first few minutes

 

I'd have to go with Harrison Ford, and not solely for the star power previously noted, though that in itself is adequate. In the documentary "Empire of Dreams", Lucas mentions that Hamill and Fisher were both under contract to appear in the two sequels, while Ford was not. It's brought up during the part that focuses around whether or not Han should have been killed off in RotJ, sacrificing himself for the sake of the other characters, which was proposed by Ford himself. The lack of a binding obligation to appear in RotJ, along with his box office appeal, gave Ford leverage that almost certainly ensured a higher salary, if not MUCH higher.

 

I'll say Ford, because he was getting more popular by being in other movies besides SW at that time.

 

I don't have any facts to back it up but, like everyone else, I would venture to guess that it was Ford because he was a bigger star at that point. I can see why Hammil would be jealous, as he was the star of the movies and not Ford.

 

With the exception of cameo spots, time on screen rarely plays a factor in determining pay, so I gotta go with Ford.

 

I assume Ford, but have no proof.

 

MikeSweet brings up a good point regarding leverage. Ford didn't even seem that excited to participate in RotJ and was probably bowled over by the offer given to him. It does feel like he's mailing it in at a few points during the movie. Conversely, Mark Hamill probably gave the best acting performance of his career.

 

In all honesty I think Harrison Ford is a bit dismissive of Star Wars. I think he always acknowledges it kicked started his career. But he has also gone on record as saying he didn't like the experience of shooting the movies (hence his famous 'George, you can type this (beep) but you can't say it!' quote).

I have seen him on one or two Star Wars documentaries, but most of the time he is absent from them, when Fisher, Hamill and co. are always on it. Also off the top of my head, I think he decided not to attend the 1997 special edition premiere.

http://www.uk.imdb.com/news/ni0241688/

The problem with Star War's huge legacy is it's a double edged sword. On one hand it must be wonderful to have been part of a special project that brought pleasure to so many people over the years, and know your place in history is assured. But on the other it must be a huge pain when every day people want to talk to you and interview you about a movie you made 30 years ago.

Look at Mark Hamill, no matter what he does people in the street to him will always say
a) Hey it's luke Skywalker!

and

b) How did you not become a big film star after appearing in like the biggest movies ever!

That's gotta irritate after a while.

 

I believe that Harrison acknowledges what the films did for him in terms of boosting his stardom but that's about it. You'll never see him at a convention sitting next to Peter Mayhew.

I love the guy. I love his work.

As for the question...I'd say Hammill got paid more. I think that that's generally how it is.

 

Hamill could've done much better for himself as an actor, I think. He had the talent, the energy, the enthusiasm, and some even say he had the looks. But perhaps he didn't want to be a huge mega-star like Harrison, so he didn't go for it like he could.

 

I have always wondered why Mark Hamill never became what Ford did. I'm sure an element of it is that Mark just didn't want it as much, but I'm sure a part of it is that Harrison was able to avoid being type-cast as Han Solo because he played Indy in-between Star Wars and Empire while Mark will be forever identified with Luke Skywalker.

 

Hamill went on to do what he liked. Harrison wound up getting typecast into action-hero roles. I'd say Hamill won that one.

 

Oh, so would I.

 

Harrison is dripping in Charisma..he's magnetic, charming, handsome..in other words: he's got star quality. Mark, bless him (and I loved him in the OT) just doesn't possess those qualities. It's got little to do with acting ability..Ford invariably plays himself, whereas Hamill CV is curious & diverse..but as the old saying goes: You've either got it or you ain't.

 

Harrison is dripping in Charisma..he's magnetic, charming, handsome..in other words: he's got star quality. Mark, bless him (and I loved him in the OT) just doesn't possess those qualities. It's got little to do with acting ability..Ford invariably plays himself, whereas Hamill CV is curious & diverse..but as the old saying goes: You've either got it or you ain't. [/quote]

Funny you should say that. Here in the UK we had a show recently called 'Bring Back Star Wars'. And the presenter quizzed Carrie Fisher on the rumors that both Ford and Hamill had designs on her during 'A New Hope'. Fisher said that if any of them made of a move it would be no contest as Harrisson is all the things you mentioned above, and Hamill, whilst nice enough just simply aint.

It's been uploaded on Youtube. I'd strongly reccomend it, you learn a lot of new things. Many UK fans view of Anthony Daniels has taken a real downturn after this show!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eQA-C4FapQ&feature=channel_page

 

Ha-Ha..yeah I saw that show. That story about Harrison in the wardrobe

I've always sided with Lil' Kenny in the ol' 'Baker Vs Daniels' cold war.

 

I feel so sorry so Mark. If I ever make a movie, I'm casting him.

 

Don't feel sorry for anyone who got to play both Luke Skywalker and the Joker.

 

Don't forget that role, the name of which will not be mentioned for obvious reasons, in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.

 

Exactly. Mark's not exactly living in the poor house.

 

I noticed that in the ever expanding list of Hamill's work on this thread that "The Big Red One" hasn't been mentioned. That's a darn good W.W.II flick. Mark has a prominent role in it, too. It came out around the same time as ESB. It follows a "time line" type plot similar to "Band of Brothers", but it's wider in scope and includes a larger portion of the war, both in time and in the different theatres of U.S. involvement. I highly recommend it. Whatever that's worth.
To continue the "edit fest" on this post, I just remembered Ford was in a W.W.II movie as well, "Force Ten from Navarone", from 1978. Both the actor's movies I've mentioned are generally considered second tier when compared to the widely known works of the genre such as "Saving Private Ryan" and "Platoon", but I consider them well worth watching. Again, whatever that's worth.

 

Yeah, I watched the preview for that one somewhere, seemed like a pretty cool movie. What's Mark's character like?