Mark Hamill needed "to be alone" when he entered the Millennium Falcon while filming 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi'.

Mark Hamill

Mark Hamill

The 66-year-old 'Star Wars' legend starred as Luke Skywalker in the original sci-fi trilogy and is reprising his role again for the eighth instalment of the franchise but admitted he got emotional when he had to enter the iconic spaceship, which belonged to the late Han Solo - played by Harrison Ford.

He said: "I walked onto the Millennium Falcon set and I was just overwhelmed with emotion. Everything was exactly the way it was - it even smelled the same way.

"When I sat in the cockpit it was like visiting a childhood home that you thought had been torn down. It just unlocked something in my brain. I got goosebumps. My family was with me and I said 'guys, I have to be alone here for a second.'"

Hamill will be joined by a number of returning cast members including Daisy Ridley (Rey), Adam Driver (Kylo Ren/Ben Solo), John Boyega (Finn), Oscar Isaac (Poe), Lupita Nyong'o (Maz Kanata), Gwendoline Christie (Captain Phasma), Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Andy Serkis (Snoke), Domhnall Gleeson (General Lux) and the late Carrie Fisher as General Leia.

The film marks the last outing for Fisher, who sadly passed away last December, and will start up straight after 2015's 'The Force Awakens', which saw Han Solo being shockingly murdered by his own son Ben Solo aka Kylo Ren.

Hamill also revealed how Rian Johnson - who helmed the eighth movie - "brings something new" in the latest instalment.

He added to SFX magazine: "Rian had to find a way to take elements of the movies that everyone expects to be there - the action, the adventure, the special effects, the creatures and humour - so that everyone feels they're having a 'Star Wars' experience but also bring something new to the table, that's challenging, that hasn't been done before.

"I think he's done it. This one doesn't feel like any of the others to me, aside from the elements I just spoke about. People say, 'is this more like 'Return of the Jedi', is it more like 'Empire Strikes Back'? I dunno, it's sort of like its own thing."