Not having seen the interview, but reading the context of it (disclosure and all that), I've got to say...I actually feel sympathy for George here.
"What?" I hear you ask. "How? George Lucas raped our childhood! George Lucas put out three films that weren't as good as the OT and have been reviled for over a decade! George Lucas even altered elements of the OT! How dare you have sympathy for this man?" Well, ignoring that I'm more partial to the PT than most (still rank Clones and Phantom at the bottom though), and I'm not aggrieved by the re-releases (not that I think Greedo shooting first or Vader shouting "no" are for the better, but I think plenty of things do improve it), I have to still admit that sympathy exists.
First of all, yes, he sold Star Wars willingly - no debates there. Second, the money was donated to charity, and while that doesn't have bearing on the conversation, I think that still deserves props. Third, there's also the fact that Lucas's original ideas weren't used. From what I can tell, he was involved as a creative consultant for TFA, but dropped out at some point during development. I don't know whether the original ideas were presented to Disney before or after the rights were sold. If after, then at best, he's been snubbed - nothing but a ego graze when Disney had full control. If presented before, then that's a bit more iffy - not that Disney was obliged to use them, but the term "gentlemen's agreement" comes to mind here. If such an understanding existed, and it's quite possible it did, then yes, one could feel snubbed. There's an analogy (admittedly flawed) for this in literature, where certain individuals come into ownership of their parents' work (Christopher Tolkein, Rhianna Pratchett, etc.), that while they have the rights to work with the material, the amount of their involvement in those cases has been restrained and respectful. On the other end of the spectrum you have Brian Herbert and his Dune novels - not read them, can't comment, but I've read plenty of vitriol from those who have, and I can understand their misgivings.
Fourth point, and it's perhaps the most basic of them all - jealousy/resentment/regret. Ignoring hyperbole on TFA (including my own), by the numbers, by every account I've seen, it's been a success, both finanically, and more importantly (in this case), critically. On Rotten Tomatoes, it's on par with A New Hope and Empire, and while it's fan ranking isn't as high (even below Jedi), 90% is still nothing to snuff at, and both critical and fan reviews are well above any prequel trilogy entry. While TFA ranks low on my Star Wars films list, by the numbers, I have to accept I'm in the minority.
So, there's George. By the numbers, the fact remains that Disney has made a better film than any of the prequels, and is on par with the OT, where he didn't have complete control. I think it's very natural to feel the emotions I mentioned above - I'm not saying that those emotions should be flouted (though by what I've read/seen above, I'd hardly call him 'flouting' those sentiments - he was already in an interview after all), but I think it's perfectly natural for those emotions to exist. As someone who writes as a hobby, I've certainly felt them - jealousy that by the numbers (reviews, favorites, etc.), the multi-chapters I put out are overshadowed by works that are much more successful. Course the fault lies with me there (or at least, one should never try to justify lack of success through external factors), but back to George, I can understand it, the feeling that no matter how hard you try, you're still overshadowed by better works, or at least, works that are deemed better by every metric available. Despite what people claim, I do think he gave it his all (or a good portion of it) in the prequels, and as far as I'm concerned, it paid off in Revenge. But the numbers have spoken, the fans have spoken, and while I think a lot of it's hyperbole, by all indications, people like TFA more than the prequels, Empire more than A New Hope, and have since acknowledged (probably correctly) that Lucas was part of the OT's success, but not the singularity of it.
So, with all that, yes, I do feel sympathy for Lucas, in this context.
But seriously George, Han shot first XD
