Mark Hamill Tells Us About 'Sushi Girl,' 'The Black Pearl' and 'Arkham City'

At Comic-Con last week, Moviefone was lucky enough to get a chance to chat with Mark Hamill, seen in the upcoming film 'Sushi Girl.' Hamill, who (as if you didn't know) starred as Luke Skywalker in 'Star Wars,' told me that, though he doesn't really walk the floor of the con now, he's been a fan for years and has been going to these things since before his iconic role. We talked all about the film, the possibility of doing it as a play (Hamill has an extensive theater history), his voice work as the Joker, video games and his most recent venture, joining Twitter. Moviefone: So tell me a little bit about the movie. Because I saw the trailer, it looks so cool! Mark Hamill: It's so hyper reality. I mean uh, these very desperate men all in one room, I mean, it probably has its roots in things like '12 Angry Men,' I mean, uh, I thought there was a real theatricality about the piece. I loved the diversity of the characters. It's clearly not for everyone. In fact, when I first read it I said oh, gosh, I can't do this, it's just ultra-violent and really kind of vile in a way. But that's the exciting part. If you can get pushed out of your comfort zone, you know, I thought well, if they think I can do this I should really give it a shot. You know, I do love character parts, that's one of the reasons I love Broadway so much. You know, I was able to play the 'Elephant Man' and 'Amadeus' and the sleazy producer in 'Room Service.' There was a great variety of character parts to play. 'Sushi Girl': Chopsticks Clip I was a little nervous, because I didn't really know anybody. And you know, it's easy to look at a movie or a play and say oh, I like that or I don't like that or this is what I like or that's what I don't like. When you read a screenplay, there's so much that you can't imagine, how it's going to be handled, how it's, you know, the deftness of the direction or the nuances that you can't be sure will be there. I did know Tony Todd from 'Candyman' and various other parts he's played, and I always thought-when I read it I thought, Well, he's going to be terrific. He has such gravitas and such commanding presence, I thought at least I know he'll be good. But other than that, it was a real leap of faith in terms of the director and even the other actors. But it was one of those things that seemed charmed from the beginning, because everybody got along. Not just the cast, but the crew. I guess we all felt like we were working on the little movie that could, and like I say, since it was pretty much one set, we could work almost in a chronological fashion, with the arrival of each character and progress. Which is very unusual. Usually in movies you're jumping all around, depending on what locations you have. But I mean, I thought this is ... it's a little scary because they say if you're having a wonderful time, everything's going swimmingly, it's going to be a horrible movie. See when you say that, I know that you're a theater person. Because the whole dress rehearsal -- the dress rehearsal's awful, the opening night is amazing. Yes, that happens a lot. You know, I miss theater. Because it's live and the audience is really a part of the entire experience, and people that say, "How can you do the same thing eight times a week?" You just can't explain it to them, it's eight different times a week, you know, every time is different. And like I said, in a way this play-this play-this screenplay, it's too bad, I felt like I'd like to do this eight times a week. Because once we started really working together, none of the characters really conflict with each other. I'm not like anybody else, that character's not like any of us. So, it's a nice balanced piece, and there's some real gems in there. I think Andy McKenzie's tremendous. Well, everybody -- I don't want to single out one person, but it's ridiculous. We've had barbeques since the movie, which ... that's very rare in this business. Tell me about the story, because I thought the trailer looked so cool. Well, it's sort of a dark thriller and a mystery, because six years after this robbery where the diamonds went missing, these guys get together, one having recently been sprung from prison and kept his silence. And everyone's suspicious of everyone else -- who's the one who knows? Was there a dirty cop involved? It's that sort of a thing, and again, they're very desperate guys and it doesn't really, I mean, yeah it's violent but it's not glamorized or romanticized. It's ugly-violent. It's not for everybody. I mean, you say you like this sort of thing. I do. And you know, so you like Quentin Tarantino pictures. Yup. I do too. And when I read it, I thought, You know this is a little sort of 'Reservoir Dogs'-y and uh, I really don't get offered edgy kind of material, and let's go for it, you know? That was my jumping-off point. So I sort of, you know, I love doing theater, I love doing voice-over, and I also love aging in private, not documenting on the screen. Because I saw the movie and I went, Oh, I look like three miles of bad road. All my jowls. Because you, I mean, you have your own mental image of how you look, and occasionally I'll catch a picture where I go, Oh my God, I look like Dad. I'm old, aren't I? And that's part of the exhilaration of being pushed out of your comfort zone as well. That's got to be a strange thing, having seen yourself at all different stages. Yeah. On-screen. Yeah, it is odd. I mean, these little kids come up, their parents are all excited, and I'm afraid I'm going to frighten these children because my sons look more like me at that period of my life than I do now. [Laughs] But what are you going to do? I have to ask you about Twitter, because I know you just joined it. What do you think? [Follow Mark Hamill at @HamillHimself] It's fun. I'm still sort of wrapping my mind around it. I'm sort of a skeptic, because my daughter was doing it and I called it fritter. She goes why are you calling it that? I go fritter away your mealtime, summertime, chore time too. You know, like you've got trouble in River City. Just mindless blathering into the -- it's like having a back fence that covers the world. I didn't really see the purpose. When she was talking about getting me on it for this, for 'Arkham City,' for whatever project. I mean, I don't want to use it to shamelessly plug products, but it is a fun diversion, I think. It really is. And you feel a sense of community in that small world. Only thing I'm nervous about is you don't want to venture into politics. Oh yeah. It's very dangerous on Twitter. I would say. And you know, we're supposed to be in a business where you're big-tent people -- you want all those red state people to come along. But I probably gave it away just by saying Huffington Post is the first thing I click on every morning. It is kind of cool to promote your work, and doing a movie like this, that's really a big deal. Well, also I think this is a little film that needs whatever help it can get, you know? We don't have the sort of funds available to just buy attention, and I know everybody's passionate about it and we want to get the word out, so that's one way we can. I want to ask you more about the voice acting, because that was actually the reason I interviewed you the first time. And 'Arkham City' -- you say you don't get cast as dark characters, but voice-wise you definitely do. I mean, you voice the Joker! Yeah. Well, it's ironic because I said to the guys from 'Sushi Girl,' "What made you think of me in the first place?" And they said, "Well, it was the Joker. Because if you could be that dark and insane in an animated character, why not on camera?" So, this is the first part I've gotten directly because of the Joker. I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed the voice-over world, because it sort of epitomizes everything I like about performing. It's not about self-aggrandizement or taking the bow, it's almost like what I would read about radio actors -- that there's such a wide diversity of roles you can play if you don't have to be visually right for it. And Joker was the first real ... I mean, I did something when I was a teenager and then did work in animation for twenty years, but Joker started off a whole new chapter for me that to me was very related to theater, just because of the range of things you could do and the dialects you could use. You could be a German, you could be Italian, you could be Australian. And I've always had an ear for dialects, but never a use for them, because in television and movies, if they want an Australian they'll get one. Ironically, you know, I said, "We'll see, that'll show I'm a real character actor." Joker is 180 degrees removed from Luke, you know. One's an icon of virtue, the other one's an icon of insane villainy. And I've become so typed in -- even in animation -- as a villain. I'm almost always a bad guy. I think I only have one series running now where I'm -- 'The Regular Show' -- where I'm not a bad guy, but 'Metalocalypse' -- I love that you do 'Metalocalypse!' People either don't know anything about it, or love it. Yeah. I get a lot of headbangers in the airport, you know? Dude. 'Sushi Girl': Heist Clip Yeah. That's me. You can't tell, but it is, actually. [Laughs] Well, I mean, more power to you. Because when I read this thing I said, "Uh, this'll be three episodes and gone." It's so ... everything. It's so wildly excessive in every regard. Violent, perverse, you know? And what's wonderful about Adult Swim is you don't really have to get this massive crossover audience. I mean, it's built to be a niche venue, I think. Oh, I love it. I think it's really cool. And also, I'm curious about doing voices for games. Because I'm a big gamer, and I know you said, last time I interviewed you for the Huffington Post, you said you beat 'The Little Mermaid,' but then your son said, 'No, he didn't.' Is that right? [Laughs] He called you out. I thought I had. Of course, I might have done it and then been too ashamed to admit it to them because, you know, they would laugh. I'd be trying to -- I'd crash the starship just trying to pull out of the docking bay. I'm like Grandpa Simpson: "Oh son, I don't know what I'm doing over here, help me." But you know, every generation is much more facile with their -- I mean, you see toddlers. They're just amazing, to see how they adapt to new technology. The big unknown with games is you have the story line and you have the characters and the design, and all that's fine. But the last little part, the last little piece of the puzzle that you don't know, is how it's going to play. And that I never know. Even with 'Arkham City', you know, you're hoping for the best. This rumor got out that this is going to be my last Joker ever and maybe -- No! Well, maybe it will be, but I didn't mean that literally. What I was trying to convey was, when they first approached me to do a sequel I said we should stop. I mean, how are we ever going to top 'Arkham Asylum'? Like George Castanza -- go out on a high note, baby. Find it and leave. Don't push fate, you know? Because critically, commercially, we couldn't have hoped for anything better. And I'm all, like I say, remember I did Wolverine a few years ago. I said I can't do Hugh Jackman even if I tried. They said no, no, do your own approach. Which was in the Clint Eastwood, seething kind of growly area. And I was very excited, because it's a very dynamic character and I thought, well, it was the first game that was just devoted to him, and obviously the sequel potential. I gave it to the boys to play, and about a month later I said, "Oh, by the way, how's the Wolverine game?" They sort of looked at each other. "Well, you were good." I'm like, "Uh-oh. So not a good game?" They said, "Not at all." But it's hard -- how do you know that? You don't, when you're recording it. So that's a big mystery to the actor at this point. And I'm just getting sort of anecdotal feedback, because they're playing the game over on the floor, or at least a certain portion of it. And at least at the parties last night, and hopefully they weren't just blowing smoke up my rear, but uh, it sounds so far, so good. It is good, actually. I've played a lot of it. I cover video games, too. So you played 'Arkham City? I played it at E3. Oh. And you're positive? Love it! Oh, good! I wanted to ask of you, because you do so much theater and you mentioned that 'Sushi Girl' might be, like you wanted to keep doing it -- would you think about adapting it into a play? You know, it might actually work, because the major portion of it are the guys in the restaurant. Now they refer to the robbery, you could probably do it either in dialogue or flash pieces of film. It's funny because the Marx brothers took 'Night at the Opera' pieces into like a 45-minute show and took it on the road to gauge laughs and so forth. It's sort of an antiquated process now. 'I Love Lucy' -- Lucy and Desi went out on the road and adapted an act where she came out and did the 'Are you Ricky Riskado?' That routine with the blacked-out teeth. It's something they used to do. The Marx brothers needed to do it because they had always done adaptations of their stage plays, and when they got to original material, they were lost without an audience. I don't know if it's just wishful thinking on my part, because like I say, I enjoy all the guys so much, and whether or not it would be something that's feasible at all... Every time I go back to the stage, I'm reminded of how much I enjoy that. And the process, too, the rehearsal process, the previews, the critics coming in and then finally, oh, by the time the play actually opens, you think, Oh, what a relief, now all we have to do is just do it. Because getting it up on its feet is so much more torturous than you can imagine. But I don't know. I'm always open to new ideas, and that certainly would be one of them. A movie adapted to a play. That's rare. I know. I actually think that would be pretty cool. From what I've seen, I mean, it just seems like it would lend itself to that. I think it would, I would think so. Who knows, we'll see. What's going on with your comic book, 'The Black Pearl,' turning into a film? Well, my two writing partners are two of the three writers for 'The Fighter.' Yeah. So they got nominated for everything under the sun, and I thought, Oh good, now they're certainly going to give us some momentum for our project. I mean, I was just with them last night, and Eric said, "Everything we've written, 'Black Pearl''s our favorite. But they just sold a $100 million movie to Disney. So I'm thinking, They're leaving the station without me! No, I'm thrilled for their success, but I thought, you get this $100 million movie sold to Disney -- all we want for 'Black Pearl' is 5 to 8 [million]. Can't we get that done? But I'm cautiously optimistic because we do have people that are working to help us. And I just think with combination of the success of 'The Fighter' and their new career as hot writers, and between that and 'Sushi Girl,' maybe 'Black Pearl's time has come. But I'm dying to do it. And I would direct, I wouldn't be in it.