Why Mark Hamill Stopped Doing Movies After Star Wars Trilogy

Following his success as Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars movie franchise, Mark Hamill took a break from acting. And in a recent interview, he explained why.

Despite having over fifty years across film, television, stage and voice acting, Hamill shot to fame following his portrayal of Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars franchise, beginning with 1977’s Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope.

He went on to star in multiple other projects set in the sci-fi universe, with his most recent return as Skywalker being in 2019’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. However, in a recent interview as part of The Hollywood Reporter’s Round Table series, Hamill spoke about a new discovery which came after he shot to fame in Star Wars.

After all, it is clear to see by looking at Hamill’s filmography that he took a break from the world of live-action movies following the release of 1983’s Star Wars: The Return of the Jedi.

So why was that?

Well, in the Round Table interview alongside other stars such as Adam Sandler, Michael B. Jordan. Dwayne Johnson, and Jacob Elordi, Hamill revealed that he did not want to fall in to the trap of doing the same thing “over and over” again as is a common occurrence in Hollywood.

As a result, Hamill went to Broadway after learning that there were open auditions.

Ultimately, this led to him receiving roles in Elephant Man, Amadeus, Harrigan ‘N Hart and more.

On top of that, Hamill also spoke about his discovery of voice acting which allows actors to be chosen based on their voices rather than their appearance.

A Voice Acting Star Was Born

“When I really got into voiceover, I thought, 'where has this been all my life?'," Hamill explained.

“They cast with their ears, not their eyes. You’re gonna be able to play parts you’d never get in a million years if you were on camera.

“I’m too short to play the Joker, but I had to sound like the Joker and that’s it. I got really spoiled.”

As such, Hamill soon became known for his extensive voice acting work, starring in numerous animated television shows, video games and films.

He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of the Joker in multiple Batman animated projects which began in the 1990s with Batman: The Animated Series.

More recently, Hamill returned to the big screen with notable roles being Albie Krantz in The Life of Chuck and The Major in 2025’s The Long Walk.

Despite being best known for his portrayal of Luke Skywalker, it is clear that Hamill has made a name for himself across all media forms and I, for one, cannot wait to see what he does next.