Mark Hamill Is Relieved He Didn't Win An Emmy For His Star Wars: The Clone Wars Role
Most of the world knows Mark Hamill by sight. He played Luke Skywalker in the "Star Wars" franchise, an acting gig that has spanned over four decades. You might even have an action figure of him in your house right now. In addition, Hamill has slayed audiences with his voice work as the Joker in Batman TV shows, animated projects, and video games since 1992. Hamill's voice work (including his insanely accurate impression of "Star Wars" co-star Harrison Ford) is incredible, and while he won a Daytime Emmy for his role in "Elena of Avalor," he was never even nominated for the Joker. That's a crime, and it's unlikely to happen now that his Batman counterpart Kevin Conroy has died.
One job he did get a Daytime Emmy nomination for was voicing Darth Bane in season 6, episode 13 of the animated series "Star Wars: The Clone Wars," entitled "Sacrifice." However, according to a 2017 video he did with British GQ (via ComicBook.com), Hamill is actually relieved he didn't win that 2015 award — and he has a pretty good reason for feeling that way.
A bizarre reflection
In the 2014 "Clone Wars" episode, which served as the series finale until the seventh season was announced in 2018, Hamill played the specter of Darth Bane. This Sith Lord lived a thousand years before the events of the Clone Wars. Back then, there were many, many Sith. However, Darth Bane was the sole survivor after infighting in their ranks led to their destruction. In "Star Wars" lore, Darth Bane created the Rule of Two, stating that there could only be one Master and one Apprentice.
In the episode, Master Yoda (voice of Tom Kane) travels to the ancient Sith world of Moraband to pass a test to learn more about the Force and how he can remain after his own death. Darth Bane appears to him from his grave, threatening him in an otherworldly voice. Director Dave Filoni said in a StarWars.com interview, "I thought, wow, what a great, bizarre reflection to have Mark play, like, the ultimate side of good and light, and then the, kind of, the father of old, ancient evil." Hamill's voice for Darth Bane was created by having him record not one but two different versions of the voice. Then sound designers Matthew Wood and David Acord layered them on top of each other. The effect is chilling.
It worked beautifully. So why did Hamill feel relieved that he didn't win the Emmy he was nominated for?
'The cast is just the best voiceover people in the business'
In the GQ video, Hamill said of the nomination:
"I played Darth Bane on [Star Wars: The Clone Wars]. I don't know how the main cast felt, because I went and did it by myself. Been doing the Joker for 25 years, never got an Emmy nomination. Did that character once: Emmy nomination.
"Now thank God I didn't win because I certainly didn't deserve it," Hamill added. "The cast is just the best voiceover people in the business. Here they do 65 episodes, really work hard. I come in for 20 minutes and snag an Emmy nom."
In case you were wondering who Hamill was up against for the award, it was Christopher Lloyd for "Cyberchase," Megan Mullally for "Sofia the First," Dick Van Dyke for "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse," and Danny Jacobs for "All Hail King Julien," who won. That's quite the list!
While it's an absolute crime that Hamill was never even nominated for his work as the Joker, what he says about his "Clone Wars" role makes sense. The incredibly talented cast of "The Clone Wars," including Ashley Eckstein, Matt Lanter, Sam Witwer, James Arnold Taylor, Dee Bradley Baker, Matthew Wood, Tom Kane, Catherine Taber, Katee Sackhoff, and so many more, did some brilliant voice work on that show, and it probably would have felt strange to do an appearance lasting only a couple of minutes and win while they went unrecognized. Still, if you rewatch the series, you can see why the nomination happened in the first place.
"Star Wars: The Clone Wars" is currently streaming on Disney+.