Mark Interviews 1990+

Mark Hamill

"When all the excitement surrounding STAR WARS began to wind down for me, I was just looking to normalize my life," says actor Mark Hamill about his low profile in the late '70s after the boom of STAR WARS. "Which is why I basically disappeared in a lot of people's minds by going back to New York City and getting back in the theater again. But I always felt I would come back to science fiction and fantasy at one point. That's not a bad audience to have in your corner."

Hamill, as good as his word, returned to Hollywood and immersed himself once again in fantasy. His projects have been wildly diverse: He was the Trickster in The Flash TV series, a live-action actor in the bestselling Wing Commancer CD-ROM games, the priest who dies horribly in the remake of Village of the Damned and a diabolical villain in SeaQuest DSV.

Hamill has become a sought-after player in a career he is passionate about: voicing animated characters. He's the voice of the Joker in TV's acclaimed Batman: The Animated Series and the upcoming New Batman/Superman Adventures, as well as voicing the Hobgoblin in Spider-Man and the Gargoyle in The Incredible Hulk.

More recently, Hamill's appearances on screen are growing, having recently appeared as himself on Third Rock From The Sun, and he's reported to play a villainous ex-secret agent in Buena Vista's upcoming Hamilton.

But, for better or worse, Hamill is never too far removed from the inevitable STAR WARS inquiries. The tabloids would have you believe that Hamill is totally burned out on the subject and that playing Luke Skywalker has essentially ruined his career. But, as he'll tell you straight, it's just not true.

Word on the street suggests that STAR WARS has ruined your career and that you're reluctant to talk about the films.

That's just tabloid bullsh--! STAR WARS did definitely not ruin my life. I'm not so much reluctant to talk about it as I am just tired of it. There's really nothing new to add at the point. I mean, how many times can I talk about the same stuff?

What do you mean by "the same stuff"?

Basically, we were all a bunch of unknown actors who were given the opportunity of a lifetime and made the most of it.

So you don't believe STAR WARS has been a roadblock to you having a full career?

Absolutely not. My post-STAR WARS life hasn't been all good and it hasn't been all bad. Being in STAR WARS has certainly provided some obstacles. A lot of people did not realize how great I was as Luke in STAR WARS. People saw STAR WARS and saw me as that bland hero and as somebody not capable of portraying somebody of depth. What a lot of people still don't realize is that STAR WARS was a children's fairy tale, and so it stands to reason that the protagonist, Luke Skywalker, would be the least interesting character. Yes, there have been drawbacks, but they've been fun to overcome. STAR WARS certainly helped me in my New York theater career, because people were coming to the theater not knowing what to expect.

So, just to set the record straight, you don't mind talking about STAR WARS?

I like to talk about other things I'm doing, but, no, I don't mind talking about STAR WARS. Everybody makes too much out of my not wanting to talk about it. I love STAR WARS.

And so it doesn't bother you that Harrison Ford has parlayed STAR WARS into a superstar career?

No. Why should it? He's gone on to become a superstar and I haven't. But then, I've always thought of myself as more of a utility player anyway. I've always thought of myself as somebody who can do a lot of different things. I'm not bitter about Harrison's success. I consider myself quite successful.

What are your feelings about the three STAR WARS films after all these years?

STAR WARS was just a pure fairy tale in a space opera kind of setting with a wizard, a princess, a farmboy and a pirate. I think we knocked people over with that film because it was kind of a fresh take on elements that have been part of entertainment since the beginning of time. The second film was deeper and more cerebral, a more mythic and challenging movie than the first film. It was like the second act of an opera that had a tragic ending. If I have any quibbles with the three films, it was the way the character of Luke was set up in the third film. I was under the impression that the third film would have the conflict of Luke turning to the Dark Side and reaching a point where he could dispose of the protagonist. I had preconceived notions going in of what the third film would be. But when I read the script, I thought, 'Well, this is awfully pat.' I was disappointed in the third film.

Did you let George Lucas know that you had a problem with the script?

I went to George and voiced my criticism to him. But George told me that STAR WARS is a fairy tale meant for young children and that fairy tales had to be tied up neatly. I saw his point, but I was still disappointed.

Did you have a better idea for Luke to end the trilogy?

As a matter of fact, I did. My idea was that Luke is struggling between the forces of good and evil and that Han and Leia were going to try and save Luke from going over to the Dark Side of the Force. In fact, I took the idea to George on a pretty informal basis, and it became obvious that that was not the storyline he was interested in pursuing. I have to admit that the idea was selfishly motivated, because, as an actor, I wanted to play to those kinds of levels.

What do you know about the second STAR WARS trilogy?

I know very little about the upcoming three films. I like it that way, because the less you know, the more of a fresh experience you'll have when the films finally come out. I've been contacted by George, but not about anything concerning the next three films which precede the original STAR WARS trilogy, storywise. He asked one time if I would be interested in playing the Obi-Wan-type character in the last three films which follow the second STAR WARS trilogy. I thought, 'Well, it's nice to have a job lined up at the turn of the century.'

Do you tend to shy away from science-fiction projects because of your past association with STAR WARS?

Yeah, and for obvious reasons. I tend to give things a lot of scrutiny in any case. If something is even remotely similar to STAR WARS, I've definitely had second thoughts.

Does that stem from a sense of loyalty to George Lucas?

I've always been that way. I had a conversation with George Lucas around the time I was doing the Village of the Damned remake, and I knew that he was aware that I was doing the Wing Commander games and I was feeling really unconfortable. I made a point of telling him that it was not like I would not work for his game division, but it was just that he hadn't offered me a job. When I was playing Luke, I looked at Star Trek as being the competition and was upset that Industrial Light & Magic was doing Star Trek's special effects. But George told me that he does not consider people working on other projects as being disloyal. A that point, I felt like I had received blessings from the Godfather.

Why did you agree to do the Wing Commander games?

It was something new and different. And the experience seemed like it would be a lot of fun.

Were you nervous about doing a CD-ROM game?

Before I attempted it, I had the usual trepidation one has when they're considering doing something new. I had done one previous game prior to doing the Wing Commander games, but it was computer-generated and pretty primitive, so I knew the nature of it. Once we got started I was struck by the fact that there were more similarities than differences between computer games and motion pictures. The big difference is that the storyline can go many different ways, depending on how you play the game. There's a lot of branching into different scenarios, which was difficult, but also kind of unique. In these games I can win, lose, or it can end up in a stalemate.

So it was intimidating?

To a degree. The Wing Commander scripts were the size of the Manhattan telephone book. But I was helped by the fact that I really enjoy puzzles and games. Once I understood what it took to make this work, I was more than happy to give them the puzzle pieces.

You've worked with a lot of real interesting people on these games, like Stark Trek's Walter Koenig and Malcolm McDowell, but working with Ginger Lynn, the adult film actress, on Wing Commander III, must have been real interesting.

I've been married for 20 years, and so I was quite unfamiliar with her output [laughs]. In the beginning it was totally unnerving for me to work with somebody who had done so many adult films. But she seemed quite comfortable with her past. I had never seen any of her films, but after I did Wing Commander III, everybody started sending me her tapes in the mail, which didn't make my wife too happy.

Is your participation in computer games just a passing phase?

I might have felt that at first, but now my mind has definitely changed. Video and computer games have become a real part of the landscape, and so I feel they are becoming a real part of my life.

Do you still have to audition for roles?

Rarely. In fact, a big part of the criterion for my picking things is if somebody calls me up and asks me to be in it.

Ultimately, the fact that you're so versatile seems to be lost on a lot of people.

People don't always read between the lines. I was really insulted when I read one of those tabloid rags that said Mark Hamill has been reduced to doing cartoon voiceovers and comic books. Boy, that pissed me off! They completely missed the point that I really love what I'm doing. Science Fiction and fantasy are real serious business to me, and I take this stuff as seriously as anything I've ever done.

Sci-Fi Invasion, 1997