Mark Hamill never intended to have such an active year.
He lost his home in the Palisades fire in January and was forced to relocate with his family. Just a few months later, the 74-year-old actor found himself moving forward with three major studio projects: Mike Flanagan’s life-affirming fantasy drama The Life of Chuck (available Dec. 26 on Hulu), an adaptation of Stephen King’s The Long Walk, and now SpongeBob SquarePants, in which Hamill voices the brutal Flying Dutchman.
“I can’t really control it, but this year has been a really, really active year,” Hamill told Variety. “I don’t have anything planned, so I might not be able to do much next year.”
After reprising his role as Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, Hamill considered retiring and wanted to take up the mantle while he was still in good shape. “As much as actors value a good start, they also want to find a way to end their career with a bang,” he says.
That outlook changed when Mike Flanagan offered to star in The Fall of the House of Usher, rekindling his excitement for the job. “It was a character part that would have been routine in voiceover,” Hamill said. “With voiceovers, they don’t care what you look like. So you end up playing a lot of roles that would never be on camera. They cast by ear, not by eye.”
Now firmly in his third act, Hamill’s voice acting has allowed him to continue playing compelling roles without being restricted by age or physicality. But as AI reshapes Hollywood, he remains wary of how his legacy will live on, especially future Disney “Star Wars” projects. “It’s hard to predict the future,” Hamill says. “But 30 years after I’m gone, I might have to ask my family if they want me to be in a Star Wars movie.”
Hamill spoke to Variety about his departure from Star Wars, his approach to The Flying Dutchman, and why he left Facebook.
It was a fulfilling year.
Yeah. When it rains, it pours.
How do you look back on this year as a whole? There have been many ups and downs, including the Palisades fire in January and filming a major movie.
That’s amazing. I’m in the business of escapism, and if I can distract people from the scary headlines, especially those affected by the fires, then my job is done. There are many unexpected things. A few years ago, I did a show called “Regular Show.” It has a cult following and ran for eight seasons. I’ve never been on a show that’s coming back. We’ve produced 40 new episodes and they want to produce 40 more.
This 5-minute Ninja Turtles short film plays before The SpongeBob Movie begins. Did you see it?
I did that.
This pokes fun at society’s over-reliance on ChatGPT. Have you ever felt uneasy watching AI-generated videos of you or Luke Skywalker?Last week, we saw Luke talking to Ben Kenobi’s Force Ghost and couldn’t believe how realistic it looked.
I’ve never seen that before. Is it live action or anime?
It’s a live action movie. It plays like a deleted scene from “Return of the Jedi.”
Huh, I’ve never seen that before. It’s one of those things where there’s a disconnect between the fan world and me in the sense that every actor does their job and once that job is done they move on to the next project. They don’t get too attached to it. Still, “Star Wars” is a very important ongoing series.[Disney]is doing really well and obviously they’ve produced more work since I left. But I had time. I’m just a fan now. I love “Rogue One,” “The Mandalorian,” and “Andor.” They are doing just fine without me.
Disney has a new partnership with OpenAI that will allow fans to generate short videos featuring characters from the Star Wars universe. What does that mean to you?
It’s fascinating to watch it develop, but I’m also nervous about how it will be used. The story of an AI-generated actress who signs a contract with a major talent agency is mind-boggling. Is she planning on staying forever at 33 or whatever age she is? Obviously it’s hard to predict the future, but I think my family will have to talk to me about whether they want me to be in a Star Wars movie 30 years after I’m gone.
I’m very happy to hear that you will be lending your voice to The Wandering Dutchman. How did you approach that iconic laugh, especially given the comparison to Joker?
When I was offered the role of the Flying Dutchman, I thought it was a new character created specifically for this movie. I start doing my homework and it’s a character that’s been done for years by Brian Doyle-Murray. I’ve been a fan of his since “Saturday Night Live.” I loved him on Chris Elliott’s show “Get a Life.” he’s really great. But I was too scared to ask him what he did. I thought I might as well do my version, so I’ll listen to his song later. This character is like a ghost pirate from the world of “SpongeBob SquarePants,” and he does whatever he wants. It’s like a children’s theater. Nothing is too big.
When it comes to the Joker, I couldn’t find any similarities when I was inside the character’s head. Now that I have some distance, I can see how people compare the two. I love both characters in different ways, and both are fun to play.
Some actors choose to retire, but you remain incredibly active. Do you think it’s okay to retire?
A few years ago, I started thinking, “I’ve done so much, maybe it’s time to retire with dignity.” It’s natural for an actor to get off to a good start, but you also want to find a way to end your career with a bang. The real turning point for me was meeting Trevor Macy and Mike Flanagan about The Fall of the House of Usher. It was a character part that would have been routine in the dubbing, so I was excited to play it again. In voiceover, they don’t care what you look like, so you end up playing a lot of roles that you would never play on camera. They cast with their ears, not their eyes.
You can’t really control it, but this year has been a really, really active year. I don’t have anything planned, so I might not be very active next year. When you’re in your 20s and 30s, it’s hard to think about yourself in your 50s and 60s, but I never thought I’d be in front of the camera for this long.
Do you have any dreams that you haven’t achieved yet?
I wanted to go to Broadway, so I went. I’ve wanted to do animation ever since I learned that there are people who do anime voices. When I was in elementary school, I watched Clarence Nash play Donald Duck on the Walt Disney show and watched all my favorite shows intensively. I found out who Mel Blanc is. I loved “Rocky and Bullwinkle.” I went to the record store and looked at the back of the record album and wrote down the actor’s name. Since there was no internet, I couldn’t search on Google. It was what I was craving.
It’s a very unique job and playing the Flying Dutchman is one of the reasons I love being an actor. And the fact that I was able to play the live-action part. I mean, it was a lot of fun. If there are people who have even the slightest bit of fun while I’m playing this character, they’re having the time of a lifetime.
In the movie, SpongeBob is said to have an innocently pure heart. Before SpongeBob, for many it was Luke Skywalker. What draws you to these optimistic characters?
We never forget the fact that we are in the business of escapism. These are difficult times. This movie is therapeutic in that way. You can forget all your problems when you go to a production like “The SpongeBob Movie”. In difficult times, it’s healthy to have an escape route.
George Lucas has mastered that escapism, but at its heart, “Star Wars” is a very anti-authority story.
Well, that’s the thing. It works on different levels depending on your age. And you’re right about George. The original “Star Wars” was a fable that explained the Vietnam War. So there’s the Resistance, the Rebels, and the Empire. It’s amazingly relevant considering what’s happening in our country today.
You’re in the entertainment business, but you also have deep ties to politics and philanthropy. Why is it important to you?
If you are lucky enough to make a living doing what you love, you have a responsibility to give back as much as you can. That’s why I love Make-A-Wish and that’s why I use social media. I don’t make overt political statements on my talk shows, but I do, especially on Bluesky and Instagram. I quit Twitter the day after the election because I didn’t want to support anything involving Elon Musk. I quit Facebook in 2016 because I didn’t like Zuckerberg’s treatment of Hillary. But who cares that I left Facebook? The real lesson is that in a country of over 300 million people, you are just one voice. So make sure you understand it and don’t take it too seriously.
