How Star Wars Cost Mark Hamill a Lead Role in ‘Amadeus’

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Playing the character of Luke Skywalker within the Star Wars saga has proved both rewarding and challenging for Mark Hamill: a boon due to the financial gains and fame it brought him beyond his wildest dreams, yet a bane because the role has persistently been a part of his identity throughout adulthood. Over half a century of live-action and animated projects have featured Hamill, but despite this diverse portfolio, he remains primarily recognized as the Jedi Master who battled in the Galactic Civil War during the Empire’s rule. It’s an enviable predicament to be in.

Prior to landing the role of Luke Skywalker in “Star Wars”, Mark Hamill was envisioned by some people. As Robert Englund tells it, he was aiming for a role in Francis Ford Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now” when he accidentally stumbled into an audition room where tests for George Lucas’ “Star Wars” were being held. After watching the performances, he believed his friend Hamill would excel as Luke Skywalker and encouraged him to try out. It turned out that Hamill’s agent had already arranged the audition which ultimately led to him securing the part.

Unfortunately, no matter who else looked at it, Hamill would forever be known as Luke Skywalker – even to Miloš Forman, a renowned director known for his masterpiece, Amadeus. Hamill aspired to play Wolfgang Mozart in the Academy Award-winning movie, but Forman firmly rejected the idea, stating that Luke Skywalker was not Mozart.

Envy Soils Good Music in ‘Amadeus’

The story of Amadeus commences during the 19th century when a man is admitted to an asylum following an attempted suicide. This individual turns out to be Antonio Salieri, a renowned Italian composer who significantly influenced and refined various aspects of operatic composition. Salieri shares his thoughts on Mozart, a rival composer whose talent and popular works earned him widespread acclaim across the continent. Eventually, Salieri discloses a startling secret about his involvement in Mozart’s decline.

In the film, the story unfolds through flashbacks as Salieri reminisces about his time as a respected court composer at Emperor Joseph II’s palace in Austria. Suddenly, Mozart arrives on the scene, captivating everyone with his exceptional talent and charm. The Emperor then hires Mozart to compose an opera, while Salieri watches helplessly as Mozart’s fame grows. As a result, Salieri found himself grappling with a dwindling career and bitter inner torment.

As a deeply religious individual who attributed all musical skill and genius to divine origin, Salieri found himself harboring growing feelings of bitterness. He struggled to comprehend why God would bestow such exceptional work upon a man of such questionable character and decadent lifestyle. Over time, he concocted plans to eliminate Mozart from the musical scene.

fundamentally, Amadeus can be described as a stunning biographical film that masterfully covers themes such as regret, suspicion, sadness, and the progression of time. Luxurious sets and carefully selected music underscore the prevailing madness, and the film’s greatest strength lies in how it skillfully uses music to heighten, rather than diminish, its charming central rivalry. Filming on location at Kroměříž and the Count Nostitz Theatre in Prague adds to the overall sense of impending doom.

The movie was incredibly successful, earning more than $90 million and receiving 53 nominations for awards from various institutions, ultimately winning 40. Among these accolades were eight Oscars, including the prestigious categories of Best Picture and Best Director, four Golden Globes, including Best Motion Picture – Drama and Best Director, four BAFTA Awards, and a Directors Guild of America Award for Exceptional Directing in a Feature Film.

In the past, F. Murray Abraham and Tom Hulce, who played Salieri and Mozart in the film, were both up for the Academy Award for Best Actor. Interestingly, Abraham was the one who took home the award. To this day, the movie “Amadeus” remains unique as it is the last film to have more than one nominee for the Best Actor Oscar.

Mark Hamill Had Played Mozart on Broadway and Wanted to Do it on the Big Screen

In a chat on “CBS Sunday Morning,” Mark Hamill shared that the entire team behind the scenes was amazed by the success of the first Star Wars. The fame continued to escalate following the success of The Empire Strikes Back. However, Hamill felt an urge to switch his location from Tatooine to Earth for a while. This was because his fellow actor, Harrison Ford, was thriving in various roles.

Hamill found no more fitting stage to display his acting prowess than on Broadway itself. He elected to embody Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in the award-winning Broadway production known as “Amadeus,” stepping into the role previously held by Tim Curry.

When director Milos Forman started searching for actors for the 1984 movie version of Amadeus, Hamill thought it prudent to transfer his stage talents to a film studio. He openly expressed interest, believing his celebrity status would give him an edge, but his proposal was firmly rejected.

Hamill mentions that he attempted an impression of the character for the Czech director, yet it proved unsuccessful.

I mentioned to him that I’d enjoy playing Mozart, but he responded by saying ‘Absolutely not, no, no, no. Luke Skywalker isn’t meant for Mozart.’ Frankly, I appreciated his honesty even though it wasn’t what I wanted to hear. It’s just one of the many eccentricities of this industry.

Miloš Forman’s decisions were validated by the results, as Amadeus, a film that is both intriguing yet odd, immediately established his reputation as a skilled and confident director. This movie stands out among court-related chaos stories for its cleverness. Given that he valued art over spectacle, it was fitting for Forman to view Star Wars as an absurdity.

In the realm of cinema, I’ve been captivated by Forman’s works, from “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” to “Man on the Moon”. His films are thought-provoking and intricately crafted. Beyond this, he was a significant figure in the Czechoslovak New Wave. Initially, his films seemed destined for modest art house audiences at best, but there were always eager enthusiasts ready to immerse themselves in the complex and abstract.

Forman’s films were so groundbreaking that they sparked controversy, leading me, as a filmmaker, to leave Czechoslovakia for the United States where I found more recognition. Yet, even after breaking into the studio system, I maintained a foot outside it, continuing to challenge norms and push boundaries.

Mark Hamill Kept Trying to Distance Himself from ‘Star Wars’ Before Embracing It

Most actors might find joy in being recognized as the “Star Wars star,” but Mark Hamill began to feel discontented. The denial from Forman likely stung him, given that Amadeus offered a genuine chance at an Academy Award, so he made efforts to separate himself from the character. For instance, during his Broadway period, he described himself in his Playbill biography as “recognized for a series of well-liked space films,” without explicitly naming Star Wars.

Fortunately, someone had the courage to suggest he should “drop the nonsense” to him. Hamill remembers his co-star Carrie Fisher saying this to him.

“She said, ‘Get over yourself. Look: You’re Luke Skywalker. I’m Princess Leia. Just accept it!”

It’s clear that he managed to move past his own reservations, which is why he accepted the opportunity to reprise the role in the latest Star Wars films. To verify that he had fully taken on the character of Luke Skywalker, CBS journalist Tracy Smith posed him a particularly relevant question:

Right now, you’ve reached a level where you might win a Grammy, find a cure for cancer, or achieve any other great feat, but no matter what, you will always be known as Luke Skywalker. Have you come to terms with that?

His response:

In my humble opinion, such sentiments were expressed by Hamill during a recent interview. Essentially, he shared that he never aspired for enduring fame, but rather sought to earn a livelihood doing what he loved most. He humorously added that being renowned as the greatest actor portraying Adolf Hitler would be a less favorable alternative. Fortunately, he finds comfort in the fact that Luke Skywalker is a character of high esteem.

As a dedicated cinema enthusiast, I must confess that superhero fans might ponder what the obsession with Luke Skywalker is. To them, Mark Hamill will forever be synonymous with the Joker, a character whose maniacal laughter echoed through countless screens. Beyond his iconic role in Batman: The Animated Series, Hamill has lent his voice to various other characters, such as Hobgoblin in the ’90s Spider-Man animated series, Maximus in Fantastic Four, Gargoyle in the animated series The Incredible Hulk, Klaw in The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, Solomon Grundy and Trickster in the two Justice League shows, Tony Zucco in The Batman, Spectre in Batman: The Brave and the Bold, and Kavaxas in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

One thing’s for sure, there’s clearly so much more to Hamill than Tatooine and lightsabers.

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2025-01-06 02:02