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Published on Tuesday, June 27, 2000 - 5:55am |
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Red Velvet Interviews Mark Hamill!
Hey folks, Harry here with an interview from Red Velvet with Mark Hamill. You know, just last week I bought for my best friend a DVD of THE BIG RED ONE, because... well, we love that movie, especially because it's the film I point to whenever anyone gives me shit for being a Mark Hamill fan. That fact is Mark Hamill still has an immense amount of talent. And personally, given his brilliant work as the voice of THE JOKER on the Batman Animated Series... which for my money is the DEFINING INCARNATION OF THE CHARACTER... Mark shows the character skill far beyond many actors in the business. People keep talking about who they'd choose for a career come-back... well, I hold that if you had the right part, the perfect script and character... Mark Hamill would kick ass. Red Velvet tells me that this film WALKING ACROSS EGYPT is available at Blockbuster Videos for rental, so if you get a chance... check it out. Mark is apparently very good in it. Here's the interview....
A VERY SPECIAL 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 this rare 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." Of the
failure, he comments "You have to sort of judge for yourself. Are you
disappointed that you did it and its 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…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 your working in a venue you've never experienced
before… There is no budget put on your imagination. If we want to, all of the
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. "Its like having been an
outfielder and a shortstop and a batboy 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?
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Reader Talkback
it's true by ol' painless | Jun 27th, 2000 06:09:23 AM | Wasn't he also the Green
Goblin in the more recent
Spiderman car by SDG | Jun 27th, 2000 06:29:04 AM | Error-Wing Commander is the
game and Black Pearl is the
comic. by DrZarkov | Jun 27th, 2000 06:30:09 AM | You're right... by Darth_Bum | Jun 27th, 2000 06:48:35 AM | I meant, DarthBum... by SDG | Jun 27th, 2000 06:54:18 AM | Cool, but I wish there was a
bit more interview. by Mad Dog | Jun 27th, 2000 06:54:25 AM | Wing Commander and not so free
speech.. by Pancreas | Jun 27th, 2000 07:43:48 AM | Not so free speech by SDG | Jun 27th, 2000 07:55:38 AM | hamill deserves better by cage501 | Jun 27th, 2000 07:56:55 AM | I loved Mark Hamill's guest
appearance on THIRD ROCK! by SDG | Jun 27th, 2000 07:57:53 AM | Hamill should be cast as the
older Anakin in Ep3 and his
face sh by gsolo | Jun 27th, 2000 08:35:02 AM | gsolo... by SDG | Jun 27th, 2000 08:40:28 AM | "modern-day predecessors",
Drseuss? by SDG | Jun 27th, 2000 09:25:00 AM | I STand corrected, STeuss. by SDG | Jun 27th, 2000 09:42:45 AM | The streets will run red with
the blood of Hamill Doubters! by Jedi Gravy | Jun 27th, 2000 09:43:44 AM | Don't mess with...THE
TRICKSTER! by not_a_jedi_yet | Jun 27th, 2000 09:43:44 AM | Shoot, two tries and I still
got bounced to the middle of
the Ta by SDG | Jun 27th, 2000 09:44:24 AM | Try #4 by SDG | Jun 27th, 2000 09:46:23 AM | Slipstream by xinpheld | Jun 27th, 2000 09:46:56 AM | I defy anyone to try to make
sense of the chronology of my
posts by SDG | Jun 27th, 2000 09:48:34 AM | You're not the REAL Dr Seuss
(are you?) by ol' painless | Jun 27th, 2000 10:18:18 AM | SAM RAIMI, CAST THIS GUY RIGHT
NOW!!! by DarthSlater | Jun 27th, 2000 10:33:12 AM | Free Speech? by TheOneCalledBen | Jun 27th, 2000 11:25:59 AM | "Slipstream" by ackbargirl | Jun 27th, 2000 11:33:34 AM | Darthslater, you are correct! by enigmainyourhead | Jun 27th, 2000 11:50:59 AM | Credits of stuff by enigmainyourhead | Jun 27th, 2000 12:02:03 PM | Episdoes 7-9? by Dave_F | Jun 27th, 2000 12:22:29 PM | Slipstream... by mephisto666 | Jun 27th, 2000 12:30:11 PM | Hey All by Red Velvet | Jun 27th, 2000 01:25:26 PM | Episodes 7-9 by tbrosz | Jun 27th, 2000 01:31:16 PM | Talkback order by tbrosz | Jun 27th, 2000 01:33:48 PM | Ballance to the force by gary2012 | Jun 27th, 2000 01:42:09 PM | I love Mark Hammill. He's a
good actor, always has been. by superninja | Jun 27th, 2000 01:45:51 PM | Hamill WOULD make a great
Green Goblin!! by superninja | Jun 27th, 2000 01:51:40 PM | Cormorant by SDG | Jun 27th, 2000 01:53:04 PM | Yeah, but Tbrosz... by Dave_F | Jun 27th, 2000 02:49:16 PM | SDG - The only thing is... by Dave_F | Jun 27th, 2000 03:27:46 PM | Hamill in Castle in the Sky by Lorrimer | Jun 27th, 2000 04:25:36 PM | Leonard Maltin? by Buzz Maverik | Jun 27th, 2000 05:32:34 PM | Lorrimer, regarding "Castle in
the Sky"... by Dave_F | Jun 27th, 2000 06:12:31 PM | I traded in my wings. by CreamFilledTaco | Jun 27th, 2000 06:14:12 PM | HAMIL IN SPIDEY! by Reverendz | Jun 27th, 2000 06:36:10 PM | ""In many ways I wish I could
have been the inspirational
teache by kidjesus | Jun 27th, 2000 09:41:22 PM | Aside from "Time Runner" and
"Children of the Damed" his
post SW by Tall_Boy | Jun 27th, 2000 11:13:29 PM | He really has done awesome
work in video games and
animation. by angry | Jun 27th, 2000 11:53:31 PM | the dude believed by RipReaver | Jun 29th, 2000 01:54:31 PM | I agree Ripreaver. by Dave_F | Jun 30th, 2000 01:45:49 AM | He does more voices, you
know... by Andymation | Jun 30th, 2000 10:54:19 AM |
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