After 53 Years of Acting, Mark Hamill Says He’s Only Motivated by “Interesting” and “Atypical” Roles
After more than five decades in the business, Mark Hamill isn’t chasing blockbusters or superhero cameos. These days, the actor says he only feels compelled to take on roles that surprise him and push him into new territory.
While Hamill is primarily focused on voiceover work now, he admitted he’s not done with live-action altogether if the right project comes along.
“The older you get, the less you care. So, I wasn't being dramatic like, 'Oh, I'm gonna retire. I said to my agent, I'll keep doing voiceover, but I just don't relish the idea of going off on location and leaving my family.
“Because [with] voiceover, they're four-hour sessions. You might have two on one day, but then you go home to your wife and your dogs, and you sleep in your own bed. All I was saying is I'm at a point where I don't have the fire in my belly anymore."
Back in 2019 at San Diego Comic-Con, Hamill mentioned that he was stepping away from live-action, but his decision shifted when Mike Flanagan offered him a role in The Fall of the House of Usher for Netflix. That experience reignited his interest, and soon after he was cast in The Life of Chuck, another Flanagan project based on a Stephen King story.
Unlike the typical King-Flanagan horror pairing, The Life of Chuck is a moving drama about a man dying of cancer, told in reverse order. Hamill played Chuck’s grandfather, Albie, and the unexpected nature of the story drew him in.
From there, Flanagan’s collaboration led to another King adaptation, The Long Walk, directed by Francis Lawrence and written by JT Mollner.
"I'm not on the phone to my agent saying, I gotta be in a Marvel movie. I don't care. And what happened was, they offered me The Wild Robot, and I love animation. That's in my wheelhouse.
“That, I got to sleep in my own bed. Same with The King of Kings, which came out in Easter. But then, Life of Chuck, I'd worked with Mike on The Fall of the House of Usher.
“And I was assuming between Mike's reputation and Stephen King, this is gonna be the all-time supernatural horror epic of all time, and I couldn't believe how atypical it was for both of them. And unlike anything I've ever done or been a part of, I said, 'Oh, I definitely have to do this.' That's no biggie."
The Long Walk is based on King’s first novel and it tells the story of a dystopian contest where 100 boys must walk without stopping. If they fall behind they die. Cooper Hoffman stars as Ray Garraty, with Hamill playing the Major, the authoritarian figure who oversees the brutal event.
The cast also includes David Jonsson, Tut Nyot, Garrett Wareing, Ben Wang, Joshua Odjick, Charlie Plummer, and Judy Greer.
"With The Long Walk, that was done in Canada. It's such a beautiful country. And in a way, it works because you're isolated. You're away from home.
“You're really much more committed to the material at hand because you're not dealing with your books and your toys and your TV set and all this stuff you have at home.
“I mean, it's more of a commitment to be far away. And I realized if they're offering me, like, interesting things like this, they're motivating me in a way I wouldn't have imagined if I were on my own."
After a legendary career that spans Luke Skywalker and countless voiceover roles, Hamill isn’t chasing the spotlight. He’s chasing stories that challenge him. And for fans, that means whenever he does show up on screen, it’s going to be something worth watching.
Source: GamesRadar+