While there’s been a lot of comment about whether Finn and Poe Dameron might end up being the Star Wars movie’s first gay couple (based on their bromance in The Force Awakens), it’s not really been mentioned that the franchise could have had a gay character long before that – Luke Skywalker. Although he was shown having some interest in Leia, before he found out she was his sister, he never really had a romance of his own, and seemed as interested in men as women.
So is he gay? Well, The Sun asked the actor who plays him, Mark Hamill, that question in the light of the fact JJ Abrams has recently said he expects there to be LGBT characters in the films in the future. Hamill says, “But now fans are writing and ask all these questions, ‘I’m bullied in school… I’m afraid to come out’.
“They say to me, ‘Could Luke be gay?’ I’d say it is meant to be interpreted by the viewer. If you think Luke is gay, of course he is. You should not be ashamed of it. Judge Luke by his character, not by who he loves.”
It’s a great way to look at it, as Luke was always designed to be an archetypal hero – someone who comes from a humble background and must work to find their destiny – and who the audience is supposed to relate to. In the past in the movies, relating to him would automatically mean he was straight, but it’s good we’ve moved past that.
However, it’s easily possible Luke isn’t completely gay, as many believe he is Rey’s father, and in books and comics he was given a wife and child (although the new movies are mainly ignoring those). We’ll have to wait and see if his sexuality is further defined in future movies.
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