Summary
- Mark Hamill's wife encouraged him to take on a role in Netflix's horror drama The Fall of the House of Usher, despite not being a fan of the genre herself.
- Hamill, known for his iconic role as Luke Skywalker, has experience in the horror genre, having previously appeared in Village of the Damned and Airborne.
- Despite not having a major role in The Fall of the House of Usher, Hamill delivers a masterful performance, showcasing his versatility as an actor.
Mark Hamill reveals that his wife Marilou York pushed him to feature in Netflix’s new horror drama The Fall of the House of Usher. Loosely based on Edgar Allan Poe’s 1839 short story of the same name, The Fall of the House of Usher is a gothic television miniseries that follows an unnamed narrator summoned to the house of his friend, a corrupt pharmaceutical CEO named Roderick Usher, who is forced to reckon with his shady dealings from the past as a curse begins to claim the lives of each of his children. The horror series casts Mark Hamill as Arthur Pym, Usher’s family's attorney, and he’s joined by other talented actors like Carla Gugino, Bruce Greenwood, Mary McDonnell, Henry Thomas, Kate Siegel and Samantha Sloyan.
Following the release of The Fall of the House of Usher on streaming, Hamill, the veteran actor most popular for playing Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars franchise, spoke to Netflix about how he decided to take on the role of Arthur Pym. The 72-year-old explained that his wife pushed him to take on the role, even though she’s not a big fan of the horror genre. Read his full comment below:
“I remember after finishing Episode 2, I said, “Oh, my God!” [And] my wife saying, “You’ve got to do this.” I said, “You’re not even going to watch this!” She doesn’t like horror films very much.”
Mark Hamill Is No Stranger To The Horror Genre
Mark Hamill is without a doubt one of the most talented and versatile actors of his generation, boasting an illustrious career that spans multiple decades across various genres and challenging roles. After starting off his career starring in soap operas and sitcoms like The Bill Cosby Show and One Day At A Time, he got his big break in 1977, appearing in the first Star Wars movie as Luke Skywalker, a role he would go on to reprise in several sequel films. He followed up his breakout role in Star Wars with more movies as well as Broadway productions of The Elephant Man and Amadeus, and even cemented himself as a sought-after voice actor with his iconic turn as the Joker in Batman: The Animated Series.
While Hamill has taken on roles largely in the sci-fi and fantasy genres, the actor is no stranger to horror. In 1995, he appeared in the remake of Wolf Rilla’s classic horror flick Village of the Damned, playing a town minister called Reverend George. Also, in 2012, Hamill starred as the lead character in Dominic Burns’ British horror film Airborne.
Even though Hamill doesn’t exactly take on a major role in Mike Flanagan’s The Fall of the House of Usher, he still manages to put on a masterful performance as Arthur Pym, just like he has done for most of his career. He’s gained a wealth of experience from starring in a wide range of roles and genres over the years and that has made him incredibly adaptable to whatever new role he’s asked to take on, regardless of the genre.
Source: Netflix