Mark Hamill is one of the most widely recognized and respected actors of all time. Through his work in the Star Wars franchise, he has become a household name. However, what many might not know is that long before he entered the world of Jedis and Darth Vader, the actor was a well-known voice actor. While his work as Luke Skywalker has helped his face get recognition, his voice has continued to be used in animation.
Being one of the most well-known voice actors in Hollywood, he has become recognized for more than just holding a lightsaber. Interestingly enough, Hamill almost quit voice acting altogether. That was until he was brought out of retirement thanks to a role he could not say not to.
Mark Hamill Almost Quit Animation
Animation is one of the most underrated methods of storytelling in Hollywood. While many would dismiss it as being solely for the entertainment of children, it has proved time and time again that it is just as capable of telling meaningful stories about well-written characters, as a live-action film. Mark Hamill is one of the most widely recognized and respected voice actors in the industry.
He has been a part of some of the most respected and well-known projects in the genre; having voiced the Joker in multiple iterations of the character. He has also featured in Invincible, The Boy and the Heron, and Avatar: The Last Airbender. Being as good as he is, it is extremely surprising to find out that Hamill almost considered leaving the genre altogether.
“[Hamill] had talked about wanting to step out of animation, ” said revealed director and producer, Kevin Smith.
During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Kevin Smith revealed something very interesting about the Luke Skywalker actor. He stated that when he approached Hamill to be a part of Masters of the Universe: Revelation, the actor had decided to retire from animation and no longer voice act, something he had gained a reputation for.
Mark Hamill Was Given An Offer He Could Not Refuse
Mark Hamill’s portrayal of Skeletor in Masters of the Universe: Revelation is one of the most iconic and memorable. Not only did it inspire more than a few memes, but it was also an excellent representation of his talent as the voice actor he is. Considering how good he was at playing the character, it is surprising to know that Skeletor was the reason why Hamill decided not to retire from animation.
“He was like, ‘When you came at me with Skeletor, how could I say no?'”, said Smith.
Kevin Smith revealed that when he approached the actor with the project, Hamill had a simple response. Though he was considering stepping away from voice acting, getting an opportunity to play a character as cool as him was not something he wanted to pass up. Now, Hamill voiced Skeletor in the recently released third season of the series, available on Apple TV.
