Movie star Mark Hamill, best known for his role as Luke Skywalker in “Star Wars,” got his own star on the Hollywood Walk of fame Thursday.
His star was unveiled in front of the El Capitan Theatre at a ceremony that kicked off around 11:30 a.m. Thousands of fans crowded the area and surrounding streets were shut down while Hamill received the honor on Hollywood Boulevard.
“Thank you all so much. … words truly fail me. It’s hard to convey my gratitude, my joy, the exhilaration of being recognized this way. I haven’t been this speechless since ‘Force Awaken,'” Hamill told crowd. “From Jedi to Joker and back again, it’s been a fantastic ride. And may the Force be with all of you.”
He was joined by other “Star Wars” figures, including creator George Lucas and co-star Harrison Ford.
Speaking at the ceremony, Ford — who played Han Solo in the film series — noted that more people showed up to Hamill’s Walk of Fame ceremony than his.
He said he prepared himself for the event by watching screen tests from the original film, joking with the crowd that he was “surprised … by how good [Hamill] was.”
Hamill recently returned to his Luke Skywalker role in J.J. Abrams’ “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and in Rian Johnson’s “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.”
His star will be the 2,630th on the Walk of Fame and will be designated in the Motion Pictures category, according to a Hollywood Chamber of Commerce news release.
“We are proud to add this extraordinary talent to the historic Hollywood monument,” Ana Martinez, producer of the Walk of Fame ceremonies, said in the release.
On Wednesday night, Hamill was on Jimmy Kimmel Live appearing to destroy the talk show host’s star in order to make room for his own.
