Mark Hamill and his wife, Marilou, are proving that lasting love in Hollywood is possible.
Nearly 50 years after saying “I do,” the couple is sharing what they’ve learned about keeping a marriage strong.
The two first crossed paths in the mid-1970s when Marilou was working as a dental hygienist. They later tied the knot in December 1978 at their Malibu home, beginning a life together that would include raising three children.
Looking back, Marilou says her biggest takeaway is simple.
“Don’t sweat the little stuff,” she told PEOPLE.
She added that marriage works best when you understand one key truth, “go in knowing you’re not going to change anyone. So you have to accept their quirks and their behavior.”
At that moment, Mark playfully chimed in with, “What quirks?” before agreeing with his wife’s advice. For him, it comes down to both “acceptance” and “communication.”
Reflecting on their journey, he admitted that finding a true partner is rare.
“I just think that when you find the right one, the odds are against you. But if you do get lucky, you just have to hang on and be grateful that you were able to find that one.”
Outside of his personal life, Hamill has also been revisiting old memories from his career, including some he barely remembers.
The Star Wars legend once revealed that he completely forgot about his cameo in Stephen King’s 1992 horror film Sleepwalkers.
The movie, which King wrote directly for the screen, featured Hamill in a small role as Sheriff Jenkins.
In a chat with Entertainment Weekly, Hamill admitted, “If I remember right, Mick Garris, the director, asked me, ‘Could I do a small role?’ I loved him so much, and I thought, ‘I’ve gotta do it to help him.’ I don’t even know if I got paid, but I totally forgot about it.”
He explained that without a movie premiere, some projects can slip past him.
“I think I eventually saw it, but it was so long ago, I can’t remember much of it,” he added.
