Hamill Back In Spotlight With ‘Star Wars’ Reissue
Since making the “Star Wars” trilogy, Mark Hamill seems to have done everything possible to distance himself from the phenomenal notoriety that came with the role of Luke Skywalker.
Is he stupid or just stubborn? The actor first left Hollywood for Broadway, then landed some small television appearances, made a number of unsuccessful films and finally starred in CD-ROM action games and did voice-overs for animated cartoons.
“To me it made sense,” says Hamill, who insists he is proud of his career. “I had a part that made such an impression on people that I felt I had to break that impression.”
It worked. Within a few years of making “Return of the Jedi” in 1983, Hamill was considered a second-tier actor and eventually disappeared from Hollywood. In the meantime, Harrison Ford used the wry appeal of his Han Solo character to become one of the movie industry’s most bankable stars, and Carrie Fisher - featured as Princess Leia - built a successful career as an author and screenwriter.
Now, with the re-release of the “Star Wars” trilogy, the 44-year-old Hamill finds himself starring, again, in the No. 1 movie at the box office. The second installment of the George Lucas series, “The Empire Strikes Back,” is proving nearly as successful as the re-release of the original “Star Wars,” setting a record for a February opening last weekend when it took in $22.3 million. The final installment, “Return of the Jedi,” is due in theaters March 14.
For Hamill, the “Star Wars” reissue has been a rare chance to be seen by the public after nearly two decades of obscurity. He will earn royalties from the theatrical showings, which he did not get from the video or television releases. For the first time in years, he is besieged with requests for interviews, via his newly hired publicist, Stan Rosenfield (he has no agent).
“He wants to use this not to be a spokesman for the movie but to reacquaint himself with the public,” Rosenfield says. “Everybody in town is calling him.”
But almost as if he were intent on sabotaging his own chances, Hamill still chooses to play down the “Star Wars” roles. “It’s not something I live with every day of my life. It’s not unusual for me to not think of it, speak of it - my house is not a shrine to any project I’ve done,” he says in a rapid-fire riff. “I had not seen the movie since it was in the theater.”
He adds, “I don’t even think ‘Star Wars’ is the best acting chops I’ve done. It’s like ‘The Wizard of Oz.’ Who wants to play the innocent?”
He goes on: “‘Star Wars’ comes along like one of those giant ice-walkers and devastates everything in its path. Not in a negative way. The astonishing thing is how happy it makes so many people. I’m reminded of those detractors who don’t like anything the masses love. … But it makes kids glow with happiness to the point where you don’t quite understand what it is they like so much.”
Hamill takes care to mention his Broadway roles, perhaps because he resents being described as having done nothing since the trilogy. He starred in “The Elephant Man” and “Amadeus” between the “Star Wars” films. He was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for his role in the musical “Harrigan ‘n Hart.”
“I come up on the short end of the stick because I haven’t achieved what Harrison’s achieved. But not even getting credit for the stuff you did do, that surprised me,” he says. “I take the theater scene seriously.”
A car accident in 1977 required reconstructive surgery on his face, but Hamill does not characterize this as a crippling obstacle.
Still, Hamill had a hard time making it back in Hollywood after “Harrigan ‘n Hart” closed in 1986. He had been out of the loop for too long. Eventually he turned to voice-over acting in cartoons and CD-ROMs. Two of his “Wing Commander” CD-ROMs grossed more than $100 million, offering financial stability for his wife, Marilou, and their three children.