BEHIND THE SCENES: FINDING THE 'PRINCESS'!

With casting taking place in the UK and US to find the original Star Wars' main three young stars across many exhaustive months, it must have been a relief when George Lucas, testing alongside Brian De Palma (who was also searching for fresh talent for his adaptation of Stephen King's horror Carrie), finally locked in who were to play the roles of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess Leia Organa by the end of 1975/early 1976. Especially the latter character, when rising star Carrie Fisher provided such a memorable screen test performance and promising interactions with Harrison Ford. These images here show Fisher wearing various wigs across both Carrie and Star Wars photo reference testing, of which she would be assisted by sound designer Ben Burtt, who was helping Lucas and the production States-side in other kinds of roles behind the scenes simultaneously. 

Presumably wearing the blonde wig for Carrie testing.

'STAR WARS' AT 40: FINDING LUKE STARKILLER...

Feb 1976 - Tuesday tongue-twisters! Hamill goes through the six pages of script of his audition piece to George Lucas.

He was one of the last people to be casting-considered in November 1975 (his first call-in merely a talk with writer/director George Lucas and Brian DePalma (also testing for young leads for his movie, Carrie) about his life and family), and he was tested several times further by Lucas, especially alongside the in-the-running-for-Han-Solo Harrison Ford, but actor Mark Hamill, whom despite his youth was already a veteran of American seventies TV series guest star roles from Night Gallery to Petrocelli, would deservedly win the coveted star role of Luke Starkiller (later 'Skywalker') for Star Wars with his enthusiasm and sincerity, along the way going on to vividly remember one of the all-time biggest tongue twisting pieces of dialogue ever during one of his recorded auditions!

According to Hamill in a 1977 US press interview, Lucas was originally eighty per cent going to cast another actor and friend of Hamill's (Will Selzer) and changed his mind at the last minute, seeing Hamill for a (second) screen test literally hours before he was to fly off and live in England for nearly six months for the film's production at Elstree Studios. Hamill's latest test was ultimately, positively encouraged by the intuitive Marcia Lucas towards her husband.

The rest, as they say, is history...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSjP2GBTr9U

BEHIND THE SCENES: THE SEARCH FOR HEROES...

Mark Hamill auditions with Harrison Ford- Feb 1976.

Mark Hamill delivers his tongue twister dialogue as Luke Skywalker to a weary Harrison Ford as Han Solo, during one of the 1975/76 screentests done in the US for the upcoming THE STAR WARS. Also testing for Leia was later BERLIN singer Terri Nunn (then aged 14), who, if she had played the role instead of the feisty Carrie Fisher, would probably have brought a quirkier charm to the role. Right now, with the upcoming EPISODE VII, new casting for new heroes and villains within the STAR WARS universe is fully underway, so this early and interesting footage (taped by Ben Burtt in one of his many early duties beyond sound design), is as relevant and enjoyable as ever...

Also screen tested and video taped (but yet to see the light of day, if ever), according to producer Gary Kurtz, were Al Pacino and Sylvester Stallone.

Longer Mark Hamill Star Wars Audition - YouTube
Terri Nunn's Star Wars Audition.avi - YouTube

Intriguingly, as of 2018, no tapes have ever been released from the Lucasfilm archives of the test footage supposedly shot of Hamill, Fisher and Ford together (footage that Carrie Fisher confirmed in a 1997 interview to EMPIRE film magazine). However, when this was trio test footage was shot is unknown, as Hamill was cast very late in the day-only a short time before filming began in Tunisia in March 1976.

Presumably, if trio footage was shot of Ford, Fisher and Hamill, then tape must exist of the other trio hopefuls together that were Will Selzer, Christopher Walken and Terri Nunn...

2013 ADD ONS: Star Wars producer Gary Kurtz: 'Doing open auditions makes sense' | Film | theguardian.com

Sylvester Stallone auditioned for Star Wars and "hates" Arnold Schwarzenegger

Star Wars: Forgotten Han Solo Recalls Failed Audition and Radio Drama – The Hollywood Reporter

2015 ADD ON: Tina Fey and Kurt Russell reenact a scene from Star Wars | EW.com

Mark Hamill's Audition for Star Wars - from BAFTA LA's Behind Closed Doors with Chris Hardwick - YouTube

From Mark Hamill - July 2019.

2016 ADD ON: The Secret History Of Star Wars, Feature | Movies - Empire