[vc_row][vc_column][vc_widget_sidebar sidebar_id=”hb-custom-sidebar-adsensepopup”][vc_column_text]Happy Birthday, Mark Hamill, who turned 63 on September 25.
This got me thinking.
Has there ever been a better ambassador for a movie franchise, who has had as much integrity, as Mark Hamill?
His character is the single most important in all of the Star Wars legacy, his journey along the way, the most profound. By the end of Return of the Jedi, Luke Skywalker had transformed from wide eyed innocent farm boy to Jedi Knight, the savior of the galaxy, and in every sense of the word, a true hero.
And in the 31 years since then, Hamill has conducted himself with every bit the dignity and grace as his character.
Here’s an actor who, in his later years, is best known for his voiceover work on animated shows, who has shown up in front of the camera here and there, but who will forever be remembered, and embraced, as the character he made famous. Mark Hamill IS Luke Skywalker.
Mark Hamill at Star Wars Weekends 2014 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando, FL.
Yet, Hamill has never fought this role, he’s never rejected it. In all these years, at least as far as I’ve ever read or noticed, he has never once said one bad thing about Star Wars, about George Lucas, his experience, or the fans.
He always has appeared respectful and appreciative of the opportunity.
He has never attempted to exploit this role and risk sacrificing this integrity for any sort of petty agenda. These days, he has embraced the convention circuit, which is sanctioned standard practice for these mega franchises, and helps keep the brand relevant.
I’m talking about something like this:
This New York Times article back in 2010 stated that George Lucas “banned” David Prowse, the actor who wore the suit for Darth Vader during the original trilogy, from all Star Wars events. Presumably, this was due to Prowse bad-mouthing Lucas, publicly voicing his displeasure over his role and his importance as it related to the character, and charging exorbitant sums for autographs. The feeling seems to be that Prowse was exploiting his role and the brand for selfish gains, not respecting and working within an acceptable ethical framework.
Or something like this, with Shia LaBeouf bad-mouthing Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull after its release, subsequently severing his relationship with Steven Spielberg in the process:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/19/shia-labeouf-bashes-anoth_n_581805.html
Hamill’s journey through the years wasn’t even remotely as dramatic as Robert Downey, Jr.’s:
http://www.vanityfair.com/vf-hollywood/2014/09/robert-downey-jr-addiction-children
Today, Downey, Jr. can do no wrong and is beloved, but his battles with substance abuse have been well-documented. There was a time when he couldn’t even land a role on a made-for-cable television movie simply because he was uninsurable, which we discovered back when I was working as a production executive for Showtime Networks. He would have been an inspired hire back then, having dropped off the map almost entirely, but was deemed to be too much of a risk to the production because of his personal history.
And then we have Mark Hamill.
In the single most influential movie franchise in cinematic history, the single most important character, and the actor portraying him, has throughout the years remained humble, and quite simply, honorable.
Had Hamill publicly battled through drug abuse, had he bad-mouthed the franchise, there would be something taken away from the experience of watching Luke on screen. We would see Hamill, more than Luke, when we watched him.
Instead, there’s a “purity” about the original trilogy that remains to this day, and I believe this stems from its true public ambassador in Hamill.
As we know, Hamill will be reprising his role as Luke Skywalker in the upcoming Star Wars Episode VII.
It’s a reward for his patience, something Obi Wan would be very proud of him for.
It’s life imitating art.
Just as Obi Wan had to go into hiding on Tatooine and watch over Luke’s upbringing from afar only to finally resurface in A New Hope, it certainly appears as though Hamill, who has quietly watched over his own trilogy over the years, is now being called back into action to save the galaxy once again.
All the attention is on the star power of Harrison Ford and his return to Han Solo. Without a doubt, just as Solo yells, “PUNCH IT!” to get the Falcon into light speed, his energy will bring the epic spectacle and excitement to this next installment.
But it’s the presence of Mark Hamill, as Jedi Master, Luke Skywalker, who brings with him the essence of Star Wars, the purity, mysticism, and magic, with the potential to make this next incarnation every bit as special as the original.
He is truly the hero of Star Wars.[/vc_column_text][vc_widget_sidebar sidebar_id=”hb-custom-sidebar-signature”][/vc_column][/vc_row]