At 73, Mark Hamill understands ‘the years are a gift’

With all due respect to Yoda, he was not the force Mark Hamill needed. Rather, it was the late, great Carrie Fisher who taught this Jedi master a few life lessons.

Five minutes after the original “Star Wars” came out, Hamill was struggling with instant stardom.

The lesson: Sometimes you need someone else to speak the truth.

“Carrie was always a few steps ahead of me,” Hamill, 73, shares. “She said: ‘I’m Princess Leia. You’re always going to be Luke Skywalker. Get over yourself!’ ”

Hamill is happy to reminisce in a Friday morning interview. He’s supposed to be the wise one now — a fact not lost on him.

“What I love about aging is that you can say, ‘Who cares?!’ Answer: Nobody! It’s easier to just get over things and enjoy your life. You’ve earned the right to be the way you want to be,” he says. “And I truly believe the longer you are here, the more you appreciate what you have.”

What he has now is early best picture Oscar buzz for his film, “The Life of Chuck.” The adaptation of a Stephen King novella hits theaters June 13.

The tale is broken into three chapters, told in reverse order, in the life of an ordinary man, an accountant named Charles Krantz (Tom Hiddleston), an orphan since age 7. The film premiered last fall at the Toronto Film Festival, where it won the People’s Choice Award.

Off-screen, Hamill lives outside L.A. with his wife, Marilou. They have three grown children. His good life advice:

Go deeper

The throughline of “The Life of Chuck” goes deep for Hamill. “The film centers on the idea that we all carry multitudes — that each of us is a universe of memories and emotions,” he says. “It’s about the magic of the small moments in our lives that will become the brightest stars in our memories. It was so relatable, so deep, so wonderful.”

Your own path

One of seven kids of a U.S. Navy captain, Hamill attended high school in Japan. “As a kid, I begged my father to take me to New York, and he did. He would get us into the Broadway shows for half price, which made my heart soar,” Hamill recalls. “I remember that I’d go find the stage door after the shows. I wouldn’t approach the actors, but just wanted to see them in street clothes in real life. I was so intense about it. It made it very real.”

He did not spend much time contemplating other career options. “I said, ‘I want to go to work where they make dinosaurs come to life. I don’t know how they do it, but I want to do it, too.’ There was only one thing for me: acting,” Hamill says.

Defy the odds

There was just one problem. “I remember finally telling my parents what I wanted to do in life,” he recalls. “They said, ‘Are you out of your mind! We don’t know anybody in show business!’ I was told to get your teacher’s degree because the odds are against you. … This new movie tickled me because it’s about following your dreams no matter what. It’s about the people who did encourage you when you need to hear it the most.”

‘A gift’

He says playing Luke Skywalker at various ages in different “Star Wars” films was a gift. “I think it’s healthy for people to see the natural process of aging,” Hamill says. “I loved the fact that you saw Luke when he was young and then again in his 60s. It proves that life does go on and the years are a gift.”

What shocked him most about entering his 70s? “The surprising thing about aging is you don’t suddenly go through this major change,” he says. “It just sneaks up on you, but inside you feel the same. Aging doesn’t change who you are as a person.”

New hope

“I think the ‘Star Wars’ films speak to our better angels. The fact that Luke could stand up to his father and turn down the chance to be the second-most powerful man in the galaxy, well, that’s hopeful. … I think the films have taught children that good does triumph over evil. It teaches us to be devoted to a cause other than ourselves.”

Figure it out

“Acceptance,” Hamill says when asked about relationship advice. He should know. He married the former Marilou York in 1978 and the union has lasted for more than 40 years with three children: Nathan, Griffin and Chelsea. She was his dental hygienist. “Life will give you all kinds of challenges,” he shares. “Things will be easy and hard. People can be quick to say, ‘OK, let’s just end the relationship.’ It’s better to find someone who is in it with you and says, ‘Let’s just sit down and figure this out.’ ”

Family first

Hamill says family life always came before stardom. “The young years with your kids really do go by fast,” he says. “We knew that early on, which is why we were always together.”

Always learning

“Remain observant. Watch what other people do. You might just learn a thing or two. People ask if I give younger actors advice, and I say no. I want to learn from them. It’s never too late, my friends.”