When an actor finds a very powerful leading role without being well known yet, two things can happen. The first, that it serves as a springboard to carry out a dramatic career full of successes, where he can demonstrate all his breadth of records. The second, that he is absolutely pigeonholed in that role and he is always remembered for him, no matter how hard he tries to carry out different projects. There have been many who have carried that “curse” on them, and it is something that continues to happen today, in the superhero genre , for example, with actors playing iconic characters of which in the end they cannot be detached, because they are already too recognizable. One of the most striking cases is that of Mark Hamill, the famous Luke Skywalker from the science fiction saga Star Wars , who has always lived in the shadow of the character who gave him fame.
Hamill has been a very powerful actor, with numerous records throughout his life, but he has always had to be contingent on being reminded that he was the young Jedi from George Lucas’s galactic epic. The actor has never denied that role, but it is true that over the years he has wanted to distance himself a bit from that universe , with other different projects, and also making a name for himself as a voice actor in animated series , a second chance that has allowed him to expose all his acting talent. In the last Star Wars trilogy, released in recent years, Hamill once again had a fairly important role, especially in the second film, which has brought him back to the first flat of popularity and allowed him to win back many fans, and make new ones, who perhaps did not know his other facets as an actor.
The beginnings of Mark Hamill
Born in 1951, into a large family that constantly moved because of his father’s work in the Armed Forces , Hamill lived in various places in the United States and Japan until he graduated from high school and later entered Los Angeles City College to major in drama. During his early years as an actor, he had appearances in several popular series, usually in episodic roles , but also some recurring ones, such as General Hospital. He also appeared in several television films, where he was fired up and waiting for his big break, which would come to him in the mid-70s with a film that very few trusted, but that would lead him to stardom. massive in just a few months.
Mark Hamill and the Star Wars saga
Mark Hamill auditioned for Star Wars on the advice of his friend, fellow actor Robert Englund, known for his role as Freddy Krueger. Hamill’s agent had already gotten him the audition, but the actor was not clear about it until his friend convinced him. Lucas found his Luke Skywalker in this young man with a clean look and a boyish face, and made him the protagonist of Star Wars. The rest, as they say, is history. The film, against all odds, became an overwhelming success and completely changed the way the film industry was conceived, especially when it came to special effects. Hamil continued in his role as Luke in the two direct sequels , The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.
Now a star, Hamill had to watch Luke’s shadow haunt him in the rest of his auditions. He would reprise his role in 2015 , when episode seven, The Force Awakens, was released, where his character had a crucial role. He participated in the other two films of the trilogy produced by Disney, but had some clashes with the directors, declaring that Luke would never do certain things that he does on screen, especially in reference to his attitude on the screen. episode eight, The Last Jedi. After what happened to his character in this trilogy, it is quite likely that Hamil will not play Skywalker again , because he has had enough of those six films.
Mark Hamill as voice actor
Although the actor tried to have a long and fruitful career in Hollywood, the truth is that he continued with the sanmbenito of being the good boy Luke Skywalker , and as we will see later, that greatly limited his career. So much so that finally, the actor had to reinvent himself and focus on another facet, that of voice actor . After working on a few small projects, the actor joined the production of Batman, the animated series, in the early 1990s to voice the Joker . His work was so spectacular that, since then, Hamill has become the usual voice of the comic character in animated series and video games, giving the villain an absolutely chilling personality that comes as a ring to the finger. As a result of that dubbing work, Hamill has participated in a lot of animated series, both for children and adults.
Another filmography of Mark Hamill
Beyond Star Wars, Hamill’s career has developed primarily in theater and dubbing. However, he has appeared in some projects, trying to relaunch his image, especially in the 80s and 90s. The remake of The Town of the Damned is one of the most notable, as well as the thriller Midnight Ride. He also directed the movie Comic Book in 2004, in which he appears with a cameo, as in Kingsman, Secret Service. In addition, he has acted in several television series such as The Flash, in the 90s, or more recently, in the series Chuck , playing a villain role in which he feels more and more comfortable, because as he admits, it amuses him more than playing a hero.
