Mark Interviews 2000+

Mark Hamill

The Force is still with Skywalker as he pops in for a cameo in Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back.

Mark Hamill, Luke Skywalker himself, has had to deal with all sorts of STAR WARS references in the years since he starred in George Lucas' holy trilogy. But never before had he been confronted with the notion of Imperial Teamsters - at least not until he learned of Kevin Smith.

"I'm reading about this hot-shot guy getting this director's deal," relates Hamill. "And one of my sons brought this tape in and said, 'Dad, you've got to see this.' And it was just a section of Clerks where someone says, 'So, what do you think? Independent contractors on the Death Star or was it in-house?' I was floored because it was such a literal comment to make about something that was meant to be so fantastic and not of this world, but it's part of the vocabulary of a certain generation."

For Hamill, this was a refreshing spin on the pop culture phenomenon known only as STAR WARS. The actor, who for many years did his best to shed the Skywalker stigma by appearing in a variety of roles both stage and screen, saw indie phenomenon Smith as a filmmaker who could have fun with Lucas' mythos without making fun of it. So when the writer/director/co-star of Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back approached Hamill about parodying STAR WARS with a small role in his new picture, the actor realized this was his chance.

"I thought, I'm in fairly good hands," says Hamill. "Because a lot of times over the years there have been many opportunities to do a parody or even do whole movies that are very derivative of George's movies, but I sort of resisted until [this]."

For Hamill, the offer from Smith came at a time when he was finally ready to have fun with his famous alter ego. Having said that, the actor might have considered such a gig in the past… if the right filmmaker was in charge.

"I love Mel Brooks so much that I'm sure I would have done something for him," he admits. "What does Rhoda say? There should be a word 'disrelieved' where you are disappointed and relieved at the same time, because I just didn't have to deal with it. But with Kevin, it was a different story because the affection was clearly there. Plus, what he put forward, I didn't really think that I had to take responsibility for in the sense that I wasn't playing the same character. I mean, he could have gone farther."

Secure in the knowledge that Smith meant nothing but respect and fondness towards old George's livelihood, Hamill was able to have some real fun with his brief part in Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back, where he plays an actor consigned to appear in a STAR WARS-type movie.

"I was picking scenery out of my teeth," he laughs. "I don't know, I just looked at it like this would be fun to play. It's almost as if it's the distaff version of Margaret Dumont. You need someone to get really uptight and upset at this moronic behavior, and I thought, 'The only way that this will really work is if I'm playing this really pompous actor who feels as though he's slumming in some way. He should be doing Shakespeare, [but] instead he's playing a guest villain on Batman the TV show.' And even within that, these two guys come in and ruin and rock his world. You know, there is something very appealing about a movie that is relentlessly stupid!"

Silly as a film like Jay & Silent Bob may be, Hamill nonetheless finds it a refreshing experience to be working on a project where it is clear who the creative voice is. The actor has seen far too many films get lost in development hell - projects where studio bosses and suits wind up whittling a script into oblivion.

"Here, you read this script and it's such an original voice," Hamill explains. "Certainly no one is whispering in [Smith's] ear, 'Do this, do that' because you read it and you go, 'Wow, this is so free of focus groups or anything other than writing something that he would like to see on the screen.' And he's got the infectious enthusiasm of a first-timer. Like, if I was over there near his editing bay, he would say, 'You got to come in and see,' or 'Oh, let me show you the Scooby Doo sequence.'"

Speaking of Scooby, it seems Smith's homage in Jay & Silent Bob to the popular animated canine wasn't much of a hit during test screenings. Smith wound up making some cuts to the scene, though Hamill can attest to what audiences will be missing. Or not, as the case may be.

"You're lucky that they cut out that shot," he chortles. "There was a test screening, because Scooby sniffs the girl and then they show this big red thing! It's because they did focus groups and the people said, 'We don't like dog penises in our comedy, please.' I mean, the Farrelly brothers notwithstanding, we're not even going there. It's remarkable that something like this can have such a warmth to it, which is unusual. Well, maybe not a warmth as much as a lack of a mean streak! And for some reason, a lot of these teen comedies a lot of the times aren't just satisfied with bringing down the villain; he's got to be humiliated and destroyed beyond all kinds of decorum. It's just like you go, 'Ooh, that's mean.' Here, the worst villain in the movie is Will Ferrell [and] he's so sweet."

Despite the many years that have passed since he played Luke Skywalker, Hamill continues to follow the still-unfolding tale of a galaxy far, far away - though he isn't quite as ravenous as the average STAR WARS fan when it comes to keeping up on the new films.

"I saw The Phantom Menace," he acknowledges. "But I don't want to read the script to know what's going to happen unless someone asks me to. Now, had I been asked, I would say the biggest piece of constructive criticism I would have given George is that there was no voice of skepticism [in the film]. There was no cynic, and since everyone was so serious in [our films], we had Han Solo who would say, 'Whatever. I'm in it for the money, pal,' which is a great release for people who have this thing about the innate corniness of it because it is so old-fashioned. That's constructive criticism, and I just don't like these people that go off on Jar Jar and stuff because I get real defensive."

Hamill appreciates the devotion that fans have for the franchise, but he can't help but wonder if the diehards among them are crossing the line when they claim that STAR WARS belongs to us now. Not that a little Phantom Editing never hurt anyone.

"I'll admit to re-editing that [backwards] Seinfeld episode to see what it looked like going forward," he laughs. "I understand it even though that's not my particular thing, but I do understand showbiz obsessions and wanting to experience it at its fullest level. There are other things that are kind of like that. The OZ books, Lord of the Rings and even pop music, to a certain extent, has that feel to it - that it's not enough to just go and buy all the Beatles albums, but you have to go and visit Liverpool or Strawberry Fields or, you know, really live it all out."
"I've been to about half a dozen sci-fi conventions, but always for something in addition to STAR WARS," he continues. "I'm happy to talk with them about it and believe me, they are a captive audience and [if] you want an ego boost - they're hanging on every word. You can have fun and joke around and do voices and all these things, but these people in many ways are able to avoid a lot of couch time by just acting out their fantasies on the weekend. I still remember The Green Lantern family with the father and the mother and the little baby Green Lantern, and they all had the outfits and the power rings!"

A talk about genre conventions with Hamill can only lead down one path: the actor's guest spot on The Simpsons where he parodied himself as a Hamill who makes appearances at events dressed in the white STAR WARS tunic, clinging to a Lucasfilm-owned lightsaber prop. Guest spots on the show have long been coveted by big-name stars, so Hamill has to laugh when he explains how he convinced the producers of the show to cast him, "I was camped out on their parking lot!"

But Hamill also realizes that it is his carte blanche as Luke Skywalker that has afforded him many opportunities in life. It's a position that he has grown comfortable with, and he realizes that he will probably continue to be recognized as Skywalker by new generations of fans. "You would think that the shelf life of a movie like George's would ebb," he says. "But because we're not set in a specific time or place, tiny tots think it's new. I'm just waiting for the day when one toddles up to me and asks me if I'm Luke's grandfather."

Cinescape, August 2001