Mark Hamill has said that his Star Wars character, Luke Skywalker, could be gay.

The 64-year-old actor has spoken about the issue after the Force Awakens director, JJ Abrams, suggested that gay characters could be part of the Star Wars universe in future films.

“I just read online that JJ is very much open to that. In the old days, you would get fan mail,” he said to the Sun. “But now fans are writing and asking 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.”

His comments follow others made by Abrams, who suggested that it would be “incredibly narrow-minded” to assume that homosexuality would not be part of the Star Wars franchise in the future. “When I talk about inclusivity, it’s not excluding gay characters,” he said. “It’s about inclusivity. So, of course …”

Hamill’s expanded role in Star Wars: Episode VIII has already been teased by Daisy Ridley, who said that Luke is “so cool” in the new film. The next episode is currently in production and is due to be released next year.