Mark Interviews 1990+

An Interview with Mark Hamill

Mark Hamill is not Luke Skywalker. There was a time, over 15 years ago, when Mark Hamill was Luke Skywalker. But today he isn't.

However, Mark Hamill is a man who has covered just about every entertainment medium there is and left a strong impression throughout in the process. Sure, Mark conquered films as Luke, but in the 15 years since then he has been atop television, been active in the New York Theatre scene, created a computer game, raised a few kids and even made some more movies.

It is actually for his latest film, Walking Across Egypt, that Mr. Hamill granted me an interview. He related that he was driven to do the movie by its strong characters. "My favorite roles have been character driven," he explains, adding, "There is a certain poignancy I felt in the relationship between my character and Jonathan's [Taylor Thomas]."

Walking Across Egypt is a delightfully touching and heartwarming film that deals with a juvenile delinquent and the relationship he forms with an elderly woman. Hamill plays the boy's uncle and describes his character as "someone who definitely wanted to help the boy but is powerless to do so." He continues of a larger symbolism, "There is a certain ineptness in his ability to reach out to his nephew that is symbolic of the way American men are kind of restricted when it comes to expressing emotions."

Mr. Hamill was drawn to theatre early on in his career perhaps because it was a break from the cult that STAR WARS had built around him. At that time in his life he had children and was happy that "aside from Wednesday and Thursday matinees, you live a completely normal family life."

Additionally, theatre is very different than making science fiction movies. As he points out, "The process of doing a play is so much more organic; you start on day one with a read through and you chronologically do the piece until an audience comes." He also found a very traditional appeal, remarking, "I never thought I'd be associated in any way with The Royal Shakespeare Company and it's an experience you sort of idealize as a young actor."

In television, Mr. Hamill has been involved in both extremes, a successful series and an unproduced pilot. The pilot was called It's True. He played a pair of twins and their 90-year-old grandmother. Mr. Hamill describes the show as "a combination of Roger Rabbit and X-Files. On the failure, he comments, "You sort of have to judge for yourself. Are you disappointed that you did it and it's not being seen? I can't be disappointed. I'm really sorry that they didn't pick up the series, but hey, that's show business."

The huge success on television was a show that most know of, yet few know he was part of. In the animated cartoon series Batman, Mr. Hamill was the voice of the Joker. He comments, "I'm a big fan of animation and of comic books and comic strips. When I read that they were going to shoot 65 episodes of Batman and that their template was going to be the 85 Superman cartoons of the 40's, I thought, 'You know, this might be the only chance the Batman franchise will ever have to break out of the formula that television started and that movies follow,' which is superstar villain vs. Batman. Because it is a lot more than that." Of course, playing the Joker meant that he was following Jack Nicholson, a task that very few would fancy. Mr. Hamill reflects, "When I did get this job, I thought, 'Whoa. What have I gotten myself into? Maybe I have bitten off more than I can chew.' Is there a bigger icon of a villain than the Joker?"

He has found a comfort in the Black Pearl games that he works with. He enthusiastically points out, "When you work in the computer game industry, you are just tapping into a whole talent pool that is as different from Hollywood as the New York theatre scene." One of his favorite parts of this genre is the inherent simplicity to things that film makes complex, commenting, "First of all, your 3-act structure goes out the window. And that is kind of exciting because you know you're working in a venue you've never experienced before '85. There is no budget put on your imagination. If we want to, all of a sudden, have a scene set in a Central American munitions factory - boom, in goes the back drop slide and you're there without having to fly 150 crew members down and get shots and visas."

Mr. Hamill is a dedicated father. He thinks one of the odder parts of being a parent in his situation is how his kids see certain things when they're young. He humorously points out, "Nathan came home from his first sleepover surprised that the father didn't have a Batmobile." But he thinks his family is well adjusted to all of that now, so much so that he even took them to the re-release of the STAR WARS trilogy. "I was curious to see how George [Lucas] had tweaked these things. It wasn't an easy decision, but the kids wanted to see them on the big screen."

Mark Hamill is, by no means, done yet. Even having done as much as he has, Mr. Hamill is focussing on yet another task. "It's like having been an outfielder and a shortstop and a badboy and whatever. You sort of want to know what it's like to be the team manager. And maybe I won't like it. I'm not saying this is it, I'm going to devote myself to trying to become a director. It's just a question of wanting to take on that mantle of responsibility," he shares.

Finally, there is a non-entertainment side to this man. "In many ways I wish I could have been the inspirational teacher that changes someone's life." he expresses, adding, "I sometimes wish I could be two people and have two careers." Isn't it ironic that he fought to defeat a man who did just that when he played the Joker?

Movie Reviews, November 28, 1999