Hamill helped make this franchise what it is dating back to 1977 when George Lucas’ “Star Wars: A New Hope” hit theaters and shattered box office records. The actor anchored the original trilogy (which still ranks as one of the best of all time) as Luke Skywalker. Hamill would later reprise his role in the sequel trilogy, briefly appearing in 2015’s “The Force Awakens” before taking over as a main character in 2017’s “The Last Jedi.” He also made another brief appearance in “The Rise of Skywalker.” More recently, he showed up on the small screen with a very memorable appearance in “The Mandalorian” season 2.
As for Portman, she first appeared as Padme Amidala in 1999’s “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace,” the first entry in Lucas’ prequel trilogy. The excitement for that first entry was very palpable as the “Star Wars” movies had been away from the big screen for more than a decade at that point. Portman would reprise the role in both “Attack of the Clones” and “Revenge of the Sith,” with the films chronicling Anakin Skywalker’s journey to becoming Darth Vader. His love affair with Padme is at the very center of that journey. Portman has yet to return to the role but revealed last year that she would be open to the idea.