Mark Interviews 2000+
Late Night With Mark Hamill
"My idea of fun on a talk show is being in a world of comedy and performance rather than being a guest,"
says Mark Hamill. The actor behind Luke Skywalker proudly displays his preference for performance over dry talking heads in his directorial debut, the
not-quite-cinema-verité documentary, Comic Book: The Movie. Insomniac STAR WARS fans could
have glimpsed seeds of this straight-faced make-believe approach to comedy in the mid-1980s, on NBC's
popular Late Night With David Letterman.
"[Late Night writer] Chris Elliott lived in my neighborhood, and I was a big Letterman fan," recalls
Hamill. "I used to say to him that I wish Dave's show had no guests, because I like the comedy better than hearing
somebody talk about their latest movie."
Hamill was slated to appear as a guest during the height of Return of the Jedi mania, but when viewers tuned in that
night, it appeared the actor was overbooked. He instead appeared "live via satellite" from Episode VI's Royal Premiere in London. Letterman
conducted the unconventional interview over a monitor, but stopped when he noticed recognizable members of the
Late Night band walking behind Hamill. Intrigued, the host stepped over to the hallway next to the set,
and found a sheepish Hamill standing in the hallway talking to a camera. Caught in a fib, Hamill confessed that his presence was not requested for
the Premiere, and instead "they just wanted the aliens and the robots".
"I jumped at the chance to do that bit," says Hamill. "Dave doesn't do rehearsals, so
when we went on the air, it was the first time he did that line. I say to him, 'Don't be mad, Dave.' And he replies, 'I'm not so much as mad ... as I am
disappointed.'"
Another appearance of the same vintage came about as a response to a Viewer Mail segment. An inquisitive fan wanted to know how a guest in a
cooking segment managed to crack an egg with one hand. To explain the highly technical effect, Letterman handed it over to Hamill, who
appeared in a pre-recorded segment delving into the magic of ILM special effects.
"I thought it was really funny, because it was satirizing those 'Making Of' specials," says Hamill.
"What I loved about it was the unbelievably elaborate explanation of something that was so simple. 'First the hand
is shot against bluescreen. Later an egg is added optically. Squibs are added to the egg...' I loved that."
A string of appearances on the Late Night was made possible by Hamill being busy in New York theater at
the time. "They'd shoot at 5:30, so they'd be done by 6:30. I'd be in the theater district, but I wouldn't have to be in
the theater until 7:30 for my show at 8. It worked out beautifully. I must have done at least a half-a-dozen of those before I overstayed my
welcome," he says with a laugh. "I realized that somewhere along the line I got replaced by Tony Randall."