Mark Hamill is a bona fide nerd.
The actor, best known for his roles as Luke Skywalker in Star Wars and his voice acting work as the Joker in a multitude of Batman animated series, can’t stop talking about his comic book collection. Or his action figure collection. Or any other collection he’s currently engrossed in.
Sitting in his home in California, Hamill’s iconic voice is full of passion and excitement as he talks animatedly about his new show, Mark Hamill’s Pop Culture Quest, that’s currently airing on Lionsgate’s online specialty channel, Comic-Con HQ. The show follows Hamill as he talks about why he’s such an avid collector of comics, board games, action figures and more, traveling around the country to meet other obsessive collectors. For Hamill, the show acted as a bit of a wakeup call that his obsession had grown into something he couldn’t manage anymore.
"I literally ran out of room," Hamill told Polygon over the phone. "My wife told me there wasn’t any more room in the house, so I had to get a storage unit. I remember thinking, ‘This is ridiculous. What’s the point of collecting comic books if you can’t show them to people? Or what’s the point of collecting board games if you can’t play them?’ This show gave me license to fill that need inside and enjoy my stuff again."
Hamill loves sharing his joy of collecting with others. While taping the show, Hamill met what he described as "people with the oddest collections." For the actor, meeting others who understand what it’s like to invest their lives into something helped him connect with fans on a more intimate level. Still, the actor is aware the show is rather niche, and admitted that when Lionsgate agreed to buy the project, he didn’t believe them because he was so used to being turned down.
"I was at the point where I was used to just pitching a show and getting so used to rejection that when Lionsgate said, ‘That’s a dandy idea,’ it just didn’t compute," Hamill said. "Then there was a moment of, ‘Oh my gosh, we actually have to do something now,’ and there was only so much time I could dedicate to the project because of Episode VIII."
Star Wars: Episode VIII is being directed by Rian Johnson, and will see the return of the cast from The Force Awakens, including Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver, Carrie Fisher and Oscar Isaac. Although Hamill said he couldn’t say discuss the film, he did describe the intense security measures surrounding it, including what kind of clothes they had to wear to and from set to keep themselves protected from spying drones.
"Man, I can’t say anything about anything. It’s like working for the CIA," Hamill said when Polygon asked about whether he was happy to have a full role in Episode VIII as opposed to what was little more than a cameo in The Force Awakens. "You get your pages in the morning, and they take them from you as you walk so they can shred them before it somehow leaks. You have security lines you have to walk through, both to and from set. And, not to mention, you have to wear these big monk hoods to protect your costume from drones.
"I will say this. I was really surprised to see how strongly people reacted to my participation in Episode VII, and now with VIII, they’re so incredibly strict that unfortunately I can’t say anything."
"You have to wear these big monk hoods to protect your costume from drones"
Understandably Star Wars is a big part of Hamill’s life, and has been since 1977, but there’s another franchise that he holds dear to his heart — Batman. In the first episode of his new show, Hamill spends the majority of it talking about Batman, the Joker and why the comic resonates with him more than anything else. Superman and Batman were two of the first super-hero comics he started buying, so Hamill will always consider himself more of a DC fanboy than anything else.
"I’ve always given the edge to DC," Hamill said. "I started buying DC comic books during a really whimsical age in the publisher’s time and I was really drawn to that. DC, I mean really, I just discovered it first. Don’t get me wrong, I love Marvel. By the time Marvel made an impact on me, I loved it because it was so irreverent and had this mocking attitude that made DC look like boy scouts. I love them both, but there’s something about your first love that always feels a little more intimate and special."
The actor hasn’t just been a fan; he's helped define the sound of one of DC's most iconic villains, the Joker. Hamill debuted as the Joker in Batman: The Animated Series back in 1992. Since then, he’s played the part in more than a dozen animated films, TV shows and video games, including three of the four games in the Arkham trilogy. The Joker has been a crucial part of the actor’s life for more than 20 years, and as such, Hamill has a pretty strong opinions of the character.
Asked what he thought of Jared Leto’s portrayal of the manic, deranged, murderous clown, in Warner Bros. Suicide Squad, Hamill said that he loved his performance, adding that he hasn’t seen an interpretation yet that’s made him go, "That was terrible." Instead, Hamill explained, the key to enjoying different iterations of the character was to look for what that version needed to be in that moment. Jack Nicholson’s Joker, Hamill said, was very different from Heath Ledger’s simply because it had to be.
"Everyone brings a different spin to the character and you have to look at each script separately," Hamill said. "I don’t think there’s a definitive version of the Joker and I don’t think there can be. It’s like Hamlet, really. It’ll be constantly redefined."
Still, Hamill sympathized with people who were upset with the direction that DC movies seemed to be headed in. Although Hamill didn’t give his stance on movies like Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice or Suicide Squad, the actor pointed out that if one man was in charge of the entire production, then the group of fans who are displeased with what they’re seeing on screen aren’t going to be able to necessarily do anything about it right now.
"So if you don’t approve of Zack Snyder’s vision then you’re kind of stuck because he’s in the driver’s seat."
Hamill added that fans should never stop letting their opinions be known, however, because it absolutely makes a difference for future films. The actor said one reason he loves working with genre-heavy projects, outside of being a giant fan of the content itself, is because it resonates so deeply with fans and gives them something to escape too. Escapism, Hamill continued, has always been something he’s tried to provide. He said it was needed now more than ever because of the current political climate.
Without prompt, Hamill brought up the recent election of Donald J. Trump as the 45th president of the United States. The actor has never tried to hide his support for the Democratic party, helping presidential candidate Michael Dukakis campaign during the 1988 election, but said that he was fascinated by the current divide the country was facing and the outcome of the election.
"I feel like I have to bite my tongue somewhat, because as disgusted and repulsed as you are right now, half the country is thrilled and inspired," Hamill said. "I mean, you’re either in one camp or another. There’s no middle ground with Trump. I’ve been a lifelong Democrat, and as someone who’s fascinated with the divide in this country right now, I’m just shocked that I was in the minority this time around."
Hamill said having a show to give fans and allowing them a place to escape this unrest was important to him. He said that he felt like a court jester, and although he didn’t want to overstate the importance of his job, he admitted that if he could create even the smallest of diversions for someone, then he could be proud what he'd done.
Mark Hamill’s Pop Culture Quest is available to watch on Comic-Con HQ now.