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Mellody Hobson delivered emotional remarks about her husband George Lucas as the two hosted a “friends and family” preview on Thursday night at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles.
“I watched George up close,”
Hobson said, explaining that she missed the earlier part of his career (the couple began dating in 2006 before marrying in 2013). “I wasn’t there for ‘Star Wars.’ I saw genius work, genuinely work, and it was awe inspiring. And he was fanatical at times, but the thing about a fanatical person is they’re a fan. He was a deep fan of these illustrators in this work, and he wanted them to be represented, and I became a deeper fan of his.”
Hobson teared up as she continued, “I was a fan already, but I saw something, the inspiration, the unwillingness to compromise, the determination, the lack of sleep, the lack of rest, the doggedness that actually taught me so much more than I ever could have imagined.”
The museum, which features 1,200 pieces from Lucas’s private collection, has been in the works for about 20 years. Located in Exposition Park and designed by Ma Yansong of MAD Architects, the museum includes 30 galleries and two restaurants.
“I thought I was tough. I thought I was strong, I thought I had a will, and then I saw George, and I was like, ‘Oh, that’s why you could only do six of those movies,’” Hobson said. “Any more would have killed you.”
The museum opens to the public on Sept. 22.
“Thank you so much for being patient with us, the town, the community, everyone, as we were trying to get this all done,” Hobson said. “We are amazed that we’re limping to the finish line and the joy that we get out of this is seeing how people react to it, especially children.”
Hobson opened her remarks by thanking the artists in attendance.
“This has been a very challenging, amazing, emotional, unexpected journey that someone from Chicago who grew up the way I did never expected to have in her whole life and say, ‘Come to my museum,’” she said. “Those words don’t even make sense for me.”
