Star Wars star Carrie Fisher urged Mark Hamill to 'embrace' life as Luke Skywalker

Carrie Fisher blasted Mark Hamill for not "embracing" his 'Star Wars' fame.

The late actress - who died in 2016 at the age of 60 - went to see her co-star in an unnamed Broadway production and was less-than-impressed to discover how much he had downplayed his association with the beloved movie franchise, insisting he should always be proud of being Luke Skywalker, just as she accepted being known to millions as Princess Leia.

Speaking on the latest episode of NPR's 'Fresh Air' podcast, Mark said: "In the Playbill, in my bio, I listed all my theatre credits, and at the end said, 'He's also known for a series of popular space movies.'

"She goes, 'What's the deal? ... Get over yourself. You're Luke Skywalker, I'm Princess Leia. Embrace it.' "

Mark took Carrie's advice on board because it helped give him perspective in his career.

He added: "And I kind of saw what she meant, you know, because you say to yourself, 'What territory do I occupy that no one else does?'

"So she was someone that sort of put it in perspective for me."

Mark and Carrie, along with Harrison Ford as Han Solo, appeared in the original 'Star Wars' trilogy, in three 'Star Wars' flicks - 1977's 'A New Hope', 1980's 'The Empire Strikes Back' and 1983's 'Return of the Jedi'.

But when the film series was rebooted for another trilogy in 2015, Mark initially felt it would be a bad idea to bring back the characters, but ultimately feared becoming "the most hated man in nerddom" if he was the only one of the three not to be involved.

He admitted: "My initial reaction is that we shouldn't do it. I mean, you can never go home again.

"And I was sure, I said, Harrison's not going to do it. He's got so much going on and he gets frustrated when those movies are brought up so often.

"So I said I know he's not going to do it. But when I read in the press that he'd signed to do I thought, 'Oh my God, I've just been drafted.'

"Because if I say no and Harrison and Carrie come back, I'll be the most hated man in nerddom.

"So I thought, 'Maybe it's fate. Maybe I should go back.'

"So I did."

And Mark credits his success as an actor to the legion of 'Star Wars' fans.

'The Wild Robot' actor said: "If it weren't for the fans, I wouldn't be here. And so I'm grateful to them. They know details I have never heard of ... like I say, it was an important part of my life that's now over."