Mark Hamill hadn’t expected such an active year.
In January, the actor lost his home in the Palisades fires and was forced to move with his family. A few months later, the 74-year-old actor found himself promoting three major studio projects: Mike Flanagan’s fantasy drama “The Life of Chuck” (streaming Dec. 26 on Hulu), the adaptation of Stephen King’s “The Long Walk” and now “The Sponge Bob Movie: Finding SquarePants,” in which Hamill plays the macabre Flying Dutchman.
“You can’t really control it, but it was a really active year,” Hamill says. Variety. “I don’t have anything planned, so maybe next year won’t be as active.”
Hamill toyed with the idea of retiring after reprising Luke Skywalker in the “Star Wars” sequel trilogy, wanting to hang up his cape while things were going well. “As much as an actor appreciates a good entrance,” he says, “he also wants to find a way to end his career in a way that keeps his head held high.” »
That outlook changed when Mike Flanagan offered him a role in “The Fall of the House of Usher,” which reignited his enthusiasm for acting. “It was a character role that would have been common in voiceover,” Hamill said. “In voiceover, they don’t care what you look like, so you’re going to play a lot of roles that you never would on camera. They play with their ears, not their eyes.”
Now firmly in its third act, voice acting has allowed Hamill to continue playing these juicy roles without ties to age or physique. But as AI reshapes Hollywood, he remains cautious about how its legacy — especially in Disney’s future “Star Wars” projects — will endure. “It’s hard to predict the future,” Hamill says, “but I might have to ask my family if they want me to be in a facility. Star Wars film in 30 years after my departure.
With VarietyHamill discusses his approach to The Flying Dutchman, post-Star Wars, and why he left Facebook.
You’ve had a hell of a year.
Yeah. When it rains, it rains.
How do you view the year as a whole? The Palisades are burning in January, all these great films – there were a lot of ups and downs.
It’s remarkable. My job is escapism, and if I can distract people from the horrible headlines – especially those affected by the fires – then I’ve done my job. Many things are unexpected. I did a show years ago called “Regular Show.” It has a cult following, but it lasted eight seasons. I’ve never been on a returning show. We did 40 new episodes and they want to do 40 more.
Before “The Sponge Bob Movie” begins, there is this five-minute short “Ninja Turtles” that airs. Have you seen it?
I did it.
This mocks the company’s over-reliance on ChatGPT. Has it been disturbing to see AI-generated videos of you or Luke Skywalker? I saw one The other week, Luke was talking to Ben Kenobi’s Force Ghost and couldn’t believe how realistic it looked.
I didn’t see that. Is it live-action or animated?
It’s live-action. This looks like a deleted scene from “Return of the Jedi.”
Damn, I didn’t see that. It’s one of those things where there’s a disconnect between the fan world and me, in the sense that each actor does the work, and when the work is done, they move on to the next project. They don’t really hold on to it. And yet, “Star Wars” is an ongoing and vital franchise. [Disney] It’s going really well, and obviously they’ve made more material since I left. But I had my time. Now I’m just a fan. I love “Rogue One”, “Mandalorian”, “Andor”. They are doing just fine without me.
Disney has a new partnership with OpenAI, where fans will now be able to generate short videos using characters from the “Star Wars” universe. What do you think?
It’s fascinating to see it evolve, and I’m also apprehensive about how it will be used. The story of the AI-generated actress being signed by a major agency is mind-boggling. Will she stay 33, or whatever age she is, forever? It’s obviously hard to predict the future, but I guess I’ll have to talk to my family to see if they want me to be in a “Star Wars” movie 30 years from now after I’m gone.
It’s cool to hear you lend your voice to The Flying Dutchman. How did you approach that iconic laugh, especially given the comparisons to the Joker?
When I accepted the offer to be the Flying Dutchman, I thought it was a new character created specifically for this film. I’m starting to do my homework, and this is a character created for years by Brian Doyle-Murray. I’ve been a fan of his since “Saturday Night Live.” I loved him on Chris Elliott’s “Get a Life.” He is simply brilliant. But I was too intimidated to listen to what he did. I thought I’d better do my version, and I’ll listen to his later. With a character resembling a ghost pirate in the world of “Sponge Bob”, you can go as far as you want. It’s like a children’s theater. There is no such thing as too big.
As for the Joker, when you’re in the character’s head, I didn’t see any parallels. Now that I’m a little removed from it, I can see how people find comparisons between the two. I like both characters in different ways and they are both fun to play.
Some actors choose the retirement route, but you have remained incredibly active. Do you think you could retire?
A few years ago I started thinking, “I’ve done a lot, maybe it’s time to leave with dignity.” As much as an actor appreciates a good entrance, you want to find a way to end your career in a way that keeps your head held high. The real turning point for me was meeting Trevor Macy and Mike Flanagan about “The Fall of the House of Usher.” It made me want to play again because it was a character role that would have been common in voiceover. In voiceover, they don’t care what you look like, so you’re going to play a lot of roles that you never would on camera. They throw with their ears, not their eyes.
You can’t really control it, but it’s been a really active year. I don’t have anything planned, so maybe next year won’t be as active. When you’re in your 20s and 30s, it’s hard to think of yourself in your 50s and 60s, but I certainly didn’t think I’d be filmed for as long as I have been.
Are there any dreams you haven’t yet achieved?
I wanted to go to Broadway, I did. I wanted to do animation ever since I discovered that people did animated voices. In elementary school, I saw Clarence Nash play Donald Duck on a Walt Disney show and really focused on all my favorite shows. I learned who Mel Blanc was. I loved “Rocky and Bullwinkle.” I would go to record stores to look at the backs of albums and write down the names of the actors – because we didn’t have the Internet, you couldn’t Google it. It was something I aspired to.
It’s a very unique job, and doing the Flying Dutchman is one of the reasons I love being an actor. And the fact that I got to act in live-action segments there. I mean, it was really fun. If people have even a fraction of the good time I have playing this character, they will have the time of their lives.
It is said in the movie that SpongeBob has the purest heart of an innocent. Before SpongeBob, it was Luke Skywalker for a lot of people. What draws you to these optimistic characters?
I never forget the fact that we are in an escape business. We live in troubled times. The film is therapeutic in this regard. You go to something like “The Sponge Bob Movie”, you leave all your troubles behind you. It’s healthy to escape during difficult times.
George Lucas has mastered this evasion, but at its core, “Star Wars” is a very anti-authoritarian story.
Well, that’s the problem. This will work at different levels, depending on your age. And you’re right about George. The original “Star Wars” was an allegory commenting on the Vietnam War. So there is the resistance, the rebels, the Empire. This is surprisingly relevant considering what is happening in our country today.
You work in the entertainment industry, but you’ve also remained very connected to politics and charity. Why is this important to you?
If you have been fortunate enough to be able to do what you love and make a living from it, you have a responsibility to repay the best you can. This is why I love Make-A-Wish, and this is why I use social media. I’m not really overtly political on talk shows, but more so on Bluesky and Instagram. I left Twitter the day after the election because I didn’t want to support anything Elon Musk was involved in. I left Facebook in 2016 because I didn’t like the way Zuckerberg treated Hillary. But who cares that I left Facebook? It’s a real lesson to know that you are only one voice in a country of over 300 million people. So pull yourself together and don’t take yourself too seriously.
