Mark Interviews 1990+

What it's like to be Luke

Luke Skywalker is the hero of the Rebel Alliance, and Mark Hamill is the talented actor who plays Luke in the STAR WARS trilogy. But to most of his fans, Mark Hamill and Luke Skywalker are almost the same person. It's hard to believe he doesn't really become a Jedi Knight and help defeat the evil Empire himself!


Mark's A "Force-Ful" Actor

Just as Luke has a natural gift with the ways of the Force, Mark has a natural gift for acting. His role in the three STAR WARS movies and his work as the voice of the Joker on Batman: The Animated Series have earned him fans all over the world.

Mark, who now lives in Malibu, California, with his wife and three children, says he still enjoys meeting his fans. "One of the greatest joys is the way that kids have taken STAR WARS to their hearts. They just find it so magical. It surprises me because there are kids who weren't even born when the movie first came out, who have now taken it up."

One of Mark's strongest memories as a kid is when he first discovered his love of acting. Mark remembers, "I did a play in sixth grade and I remember thinking to myself after it was over, 'Gee, this is great!' It freed me to be people that I'm not in real life. Making the audience laugh gave me a great sense of identity." Mark has acted in many plays since STAR WARS. One of his favorites is the true story, Amadeus, in which he portrayed the brilliant classical music composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.


Jedi, Joker and Wing Commander, Too

Another favorite role for Mark is the Joker, Batman's arch enemy on the animated Batman TV series and in the animated movie Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. He's also done voices for Wing Commander Academy, Bruno The Kid, the Blues Brothers cartoons, the games Wing Commander III and Wing Commander IV. "Voiceover work is acting at its most pure," he says. "It's extremely challenging because the emotion of the character is expressed only using the voice. You can't rely on physical actions to portray the character."

Although Mark has played many roles (on television he's appeared on over 100 shows!), Mark will always be known as Luke Skywalker. Mark says that filming the STAR WARS trilogy is still one of his favorite memories. "When I think about it," he says, "the thing I miss most is the cast and crew. A lot of the films were made in England, and we were all very close. The relationship between Carrie (Carrie Fisher, who played Princess Leia), Harrison (Harrison Ford, who played Han Solo), and myself was so wonderful. We had a lot of fun making the STAR WARS movies."

His favorite part of making the first STAR WARS movie was filming the scenes of Tatooine in Tunisia, in the northern region of Africa. He adds, "Also, it was exciting working on a film with all of those props: the laser guns, floating cars, and droids. It was really like transporting us into another world, and I loved that!"

Mark also says that, for him, it would be impossible to choose a favorite between STAR WARS, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi. "Each film is special in a different way," he says. "Each one had its own personality and character, and it's hard for me to say, 'That's my favorite.'"


To Hamill, STAR WARS still Rocks

Mark had not seen STAR WARS since it first came out in 1977 until it returned to theaters twenty years later for the Special Edition. "Seeing the movie again," he says, "I saw that it's a great, warm film about friendship, family, and conquering adversity. I look at the trilogy and the character of Luke with great fondness today. I know that STAR WARS was amazing then, and it's amazing now!" Mark adds, "After seeing the movie again, I realized it's no wonder people find it so optimistic and uplifting."

To many of us, it's hard to imagine a STAR WARS movie without Mark Hamill. But the new STAR WARS trilogy takes place about forty years before Luke is born, so we'll have to get used to the idea.

Still, Mark is excited about the new STAR WARS trilogy. "George can do anything!" he says. "A lot of people say, 'Oh, we're going to miss Luke, Han, and Leia.' But that must be the real challenge for George - coming up with new characters and new situations. There's a whole universe out there for him to play with. I can tell you without hesitation: I'll go see the next films!"

Whether or not he's playing Luke Skywalker, it's clear the Force will always be with Mark Hamill!

STAR WARS Kids, September/October 1998