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Tag: Mark Hamill

  • Mark Hamill’s Best Genre Roles (That Aren’t Luke Skywalker)

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    James Jesse, The Flash

    © The CW

    Imagine taking a C-list comics villain and having such a fun performance with it that you get to play him across the decades in three different TV shows. Hamill first played the Trickster in the ’90s Flash live-action show, before coming back for an animated appearance in Justice League Unlimited and then reviving the character again in the CW’s own Flash show. Hamill’s Trickster, like so many of his most beloved roles, really manages to balance the zany over-theatricality of a comic book baddie (even if Jesse is hardly the fiercest of Flash’s rogues), while giving the character a wonderfully human side too in his appearance in Unlimited. The 2014 Flash iteration definitely leans a bit more on the gag side of things, but it’s well worth revisiting his ’90s turn, considering it’s what purportedly played a key role in him landing the role of Joker.

    Skeletor, Masters of the Universe: Revelations

    Skeletor Masters Of The Universe Revelations
    © Netflix

    It might be controversial to say, given any performance of He-Man’s antagonistic foil has to walk in the shadow of Alan Oppenheimer, but Hamill’s turn in Kevin Smith’s rebooted take on Masters of the Universe is a very fun take on the character, giving Skeletor a gruffness that lends him an underlying menace even when he leans a bit more into the character’s classic camp.

    Christoper “Maverick” Blair, Wing Commander

    Maverick Wing Commander
    © Origin Systems

    Okay, sure, we can’t put one hotshot sci-fi piloting hero on this list, but there is another! Hamill played Wing Commander protagonist Maverick, aka Christopher Blair, in the FMV live-action cutscenes used in the third and fourth games in the series, Heart of the Tiger and Price of Freedom, giving the series’ previously unnamed protagonist a stronger depth of character, a more seasoned starfighter pilot on the front lines of a long and bitter conflict with the lion-esque aliens known as the Kilrathi. And as Hamill’s voice acting career took off, he even returned to the animated prequel spinoff Wing Commander Academy to reprise the role.

    Mervyn Pumpkinhead, The Sandman

    Mervyn Pumpkinhead Sandman
    © Netflix

    The Dreaming’s resident grumpy janitor (and sentient pumpkin-headed scarecrow), Hamill burns briefly but brightly on Netflix’s Sandman adaptation, with Mervyn providing a touch of charmingly abrasive levity to the climax of the first season. Thank god he recovered from his fight against the furies in the show’s sophomore season!

    skekTek the Scientist, Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance

    The Scientist Dark Crystal Age Of Resistance
    © Netflix

    Sometimes you’ve just gotta lean all the way in, and when given the role of the Skeksis’ chief scientist in the incredible Dark Crystal prequel show, Hamill goes all out. He’s cackling, shrill, and just delightfully, ruthlessly over-the-top in his portrayal of skekTek’s otherwise logically cold evil, really selling you on just what wretched delight skekTek takes in the cruelty he enacts in his experiments.

    The Major, The Long Walk

    The Major Long Walk
    © Lionsgate

    Hamill’s most recent performance is so great that it immediately has to sit among a recollection of his finest roles, playing the chilling commander of the titular dystopian march from Stephen King’s classic tale. It’s clear looking back on Hamill’s work that he loves playing a villain, but few compare to the chilling presence with which he embodies the Major as an ever-watching specter haunting the walkers.

    Ozai, Avatar: The Last Airbender

    Fire Lord Ozai Avatar The Last Airbender
    © Nickelodeon

    Hamill fills Avatar‘s Fire Lord with tension in every line, a fitting balance of restraint for the fiery leader of the Fire Nation’s imperial ambitions: his performance as Ozai is electrifying, crackling with the potential for the character’s rage always swirling just beneath the surface. And that only means that when Ozai is allowed to let loose, Hamill goes suitably grand, imbuing the character with a snide and noble arrogance that you love to hate.

    Albie Krantz, The Life of Chuck

    Albie Life Of Chuck
    © Neon

    The grandfather to the titular Chuck, Hamill plays a crucial role in this year’s Mike Flanagan tearjerker. Albie cuts a tired figure, and like so many of Hamill’s most beloved roles, there’s a little element of irascibility—but it’s for good measure, as we see through the young Chuck’s eyes the tragedies that have shaped his grandfather into the man he is. Even in dealing with all that, Hamill gives Albie a warmth and sincerity to deliver an incredibly emotional performance, one that stands in stark contrast to his other big 2025 role in The Long Walk.

    The Hobgoblin, Spider-Man: The Animated Series

    Hobgoblin Spiderman The Animated Series
    © 20th Century Television

    While Joker dominates people’s memory of Hamill’s superheroic voicework, his turn as the Hobgoblin in Marvel’s ’90s animated icon is not to be missed. There’s just enough menace to keep it distinct from his other, more grandiose vocal performances, while keeping a bit of a more subdued vibe.

    Thorn, The Wild Robot

    Thorn Wild Robot
    © Dreamworks

    In a wonderfully sweet role as the grizzly bear with a soft heart, Hamill gets to do a lot with Thorn, softening him from a ferociously cantankerous initial threat to a loveably warm friend to Roz the robot over the course of the film. Hamill clearly loves voice roles where he gets to play both sides of the coin… and occasionally do so with gruffness that, in this case, is suitably bearish.

    Jim the Vampire, What We Do in the Shadows

    Jim The Vampire What We Do In The Shadows
    © FX

    An iconic part of an all-time iconic What We Do in the Shadows bit, Hamill’s Jim is the hilarious foil to Laszlo in “On the Run”: the vampire Laszlo stiffs on rent, leading to a near 200-year grudge and Laszlo’s brief flight to Pennsylvania to live a life as human bartender Jackie Daytona. Hamill’s comedic chops are on full display here as the oddball, vengeful, yet very oblivious vampire, and it’s a delight to see him having so much fun.

    Arthur Pym, The Fall of the House of Usher

    Arthur Pym Fall Of The House Of Usher
    © Netflix

    Ah, the Pym Reaper. The Usher family’s sinister fixer lets Hamill play a particularly intriguing nastiness: Pym is far from a good person, but he is surprisingly nuanced in the way he acts as the ruthless thread weaving together the unfolding doom the Usher family faces. It’s a wonderfully chilling mirror to many of Hamill’s more overtly evil roles, and he plays it pitch-perfectly.

    You know this had to be on here somewhere. The performance that defined the Dark Knight’s greatest foe for generations of fans—and kept defining it, as he returned to voice Joker across various other projects—Hamill’s Joker will forever remain as iconic a spotlight in his career as Luke Skywalker. Able to balance the character’s humor and darkness in equal measure while imbuing the clown prince with a cackling theatricality, Hamill took the great material he was given in Batman and made it sing.

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    James Whitbrook

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  • ‘The Long Walk’ Star Garrett Wareing on His Character’s Big Surprise

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    Now that The Long Walk is in theaters, members of its ensemble cast are free to talk spoilers. The movie, based on Stephen King’s story, revolves around a literal death march, so it’s not surprising that not all of the stars make it to the finish line. The brutal twists come with what order they go down—and at least one other surprising nuggets shared along the way.

    In a new interview with Deadline, Garrett Wareing, who plays Billy Stebbins, talked about his experiences on the film as well as what happens to his character.

    Eventually, it’s revealed to the audience and Billy’s fellow walkers that he is actually the illegitimate son of the Major (Mark Hamill), the cruel overseer of the titular march. He puts up a tough front, but it becomes clear Billy has got a different level of investment in the competition than the other boys.

    “His dream, his goal, is to meet his father and for [his father] to be this hero that he idolized his whole life,” Wareing told Deadline. “I think that he goes into the walk thinking that this is a necessary thing, this is a good thing. And throughout the course, he begins to see the brutality that exists along something like this. And maybe he begins to see it for what it is, not necessarily [as] what it’s pitched to [be to] these young boys in the nation.”

    In the book, Stebbins comes in second place. In the movie, he’s third, a twist that allows for The Long Walk‘s poignant final moments between Ray (Cooper Hoffman) and Peter (David Jonsson)—and Peter getting his wish-fulfillment part of the prize, which is killing the Major.

    There’s no happy ending for Stebbins and his father, but Wareing did tell Deadline how much he enjoyed working with Hamill. And yes, Star Wars came up.

    “One of the first times I interacted with Mark in the makeup trailer, he made the brilliant connection to Star Wars by saying, ‘you know, here on page 96 (or whatever page it was), there’s a bit of an “I am your father” moment when your character reveals that the Major is his father.’ And we both laughed. It was quite fitting that Luke had now become the father and in turn, I had now become Luke speaking to Vader.”

    The Long Walk is now in theaters.

    Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

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    Cheryl Eddy

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  • Reviews For The Easily Distracted: The Long Walk

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    Title: The Long Walk

    Describe This Movie In One Gong Show Creator Quote:

    CHUCK BARRIS: The ultimate game show would be one where the losing contestant was killed.

    Brief Plot Synopsis: It’s a walk. And it’s long.

    Rating Using Random Objects Relevant To The Film: 2.5 Scarfaces out of 5.

    click to enlarge

    Tagline: “How far could you go?”

    Better Tagline: “This new Klondike Bar campaign sucks.”

    Not So Brief Plot Synopsis: Every year, a young man from each of the 50 states embarks on the Long Walk. The boys assembled this year include Ray Garraty (Cooper Hoffman), Pete DeVries (David Jonsson), and Art Baker (Tut Nyuot), who form a friendship of sorts, which complicates the fact that there’s only one winner. Any Walker who drops below three miles an hour gets three warnings before their “ticket” is punched. The winner is basically granted a wish, and Garraty has plans for his.
    “Critical” Analysis: Does dystopian fiction still work if we’re already living in a dystopia?

    The alternative timeline The Long Walk is set in is no picnic. Perceived enemies of the state are taken from their homes and given a choice: service in the “Squads” or a bullet to the head. The postwar economy is in shambles, and the resident dictator (The Major, played un-memorably by Mark Hamill) promises to make the country number one again.

    I trust none of this is disturbingly familiar.

    Stephen King’s original novella was itself a barely veiled metaphor for Vietnam, written in reaction to the televised draft lottery, but the movie — while evidently set in the mirror universe1970s — reflects current events in other ways. Well-meaning people might say, “Society would never tolerate an event like this where young people are needlessly gunned down.” Some of those same people would still vote against regulating firearms even after kids were shot in a school or church.

    Francis Lawrence (I Am Legend, several of the Hunger Games…es) and screenwriter JT Mollner had to make some choices in adapting Stephen King’s story. They’ve truncated the number of kids from 100 to 50, for one, and removed many of the (meager) references to the wider world (shout out to Orange Julius).

    As with most of King’s work, a fair bit gets lost in the translation from page to screen. Much of the novella takes place in Garraty’s head; thoughts of his girlfriend and mom, and loss, and patterns of life and death. It’s not very easy to shoehorn into a movie (or a miniseries, if the latest calamitous attempt to adapt The Stand is any indication).

    And in going with fewer Walkers, certain characters are excluded, others merged (“lean Buddha” Stebbins gets Scramm’s pneumonia, for example). What hasn’t changed is DeVries’ role as Garraty’s garrulous companion, though Lawrence clearly didn’t have time for the character’s amateur theology). Jonsson is the high point here, as DeVries modulates the often hysterical Garraty and is given the most compelling backstory.

    Hoffman, so disarming in Licorice Pizza, is fine here. But he isn’t a great fit for Garraty, even with the additional motivation Lawrence and Mollner give the character. However, they do delve into what we’ve probably all considered (at least I know I have): being the subjects of our own story. Bad things — tickets getting punched, etc. — happen to other people. The idea of being the principal protagonist has gotten more traction in the age of FPS games and online anonymity, but The Long Walk attempts to bring that unreality a little more immediacy.

    The conundrum of how to consistently adapt Stephen King for the screen continues. Lawrence and company have condensed a meditation on mortality and the hopelessness of adolescence into a quest for vengeance.

    The Long Walk is in theaters today.

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    Pete Vonder Haar

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  • Mark Hamill Is Embracing His Villain Era

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    In a new interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Star Wars‘ Mark Hamill unpacked his recent resurgence in popularity, stating, “I certainly didn’t expect to have this sudden burst of life so late in the game. I should be spending time wandering the beaches with a metal detector. I can’t explain why, all of a sudden, I have five features this year.”

    As the actor notes, “There was a point about five years ago where I thought that it’s not easy getting older, and it’s even harder when you’re doing it on camera. So I thought that I’ve had enough on-camera. I’m going to continue working but in voiceover only. Then Mike Flanagan and his producer, Trevor Macy, contacted me to do The Fall of the House of Usher. I was playing the family lawyer to a really evil family—a soulless, truly evil guy. And I loved it. It was minimalist. It was unlike anything I had ever done, and it sort of rekindled my satisfaction of doing things on camera.”

    The erstwhile Luke Skywalker has been primarily a voice actor for over 30 years now—and he’s been enjoying a spate of juicy villain roles lately. In addition to the aforementioned Usher, the actor voiced King Herod in Charles Dickens’ bizarre recount of Biblical events, The King of Kings; Skeletor in Netflix’s recent Masters of the Universe series; and an irascible bear named Thorn in the Oscar-nominated The Wild Robot. Later this year, Hamill is even lending his voice to the legendary Flying Dutchman in the latest SpongeBob SquarePants movie.

    However, Hamill is now beginning to regain the most consistent live-action work (not playing himself) he’s had since the 1980s. In the last year, the actor has received praise for his role as an alcoholic grandfather in The Life of Chuck, reprised his Corvette Summer role as Kenneth W. Dantley, Jr. in a Green Day music video, and is now set to play the child-killing “Major” in the long-awaited film adaptation of Stephen King’s The Long Walk, in theaters tomorrow.

    As to why Hamill’s star is suddenly rising after so many years as a (jocular, at least…) Hollywood punchline, the outlet cites his 2017 return as the older, angrier, far more world-weary Luke Skywalker in The Last Jedi.

    Though Hamill has done cartoon voice work since the 1970s, he is undoubtedly best known for voicing the Joker on Batman: The Animated Series. As he recounts to THR, “It was right after they announced that Michael Keaton was cast as Batman, and the fan community freaked out, ‘Oh, he’s Mr. Mom. He’s a comic actor.’ So even though I really wanted the part, I thought, ‘If they freaked out about Mr. Mom being Batman, how are they going to feel about Luke Skywalker being the Joker? There’s no way I’m going to get this!’”

    “And because I believed that, I was completely calm and relaxed. I just let it rip. I drove out of the parking lot really cocky: ‘Top that, try to find a better Joker than that.’ People didn’t even believe it was me. They thought it was treated or sped up or who knows what. But it was a fundamental reason I got so many interesting roles in voiceover.”

    While THR’s piece celebrates the actor for no longer being “pigeonholed” by casting directors for playing Luke Skywalker, it got me thinking: given his new synonymity for villain roles, Hamill may now be “pigeonholed” into an entirely different role by a younger generation of filmmakers. He may have spent his career haunted by Star Wars, but perhaps having played Luke Skywalker no longer defines Mark Hamill. Now, the Joker does.

    The Long Walk is in theaters September 12.

    Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

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    Gordon Jackson

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  • SDCC: The Wild Robot Panel With Mark Hamill

    SDCC: The Wild Robot Panel With Mark Hamill

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    There’s a ton of talent behind DreamWorks Animation’s upcoming release The Wild Robot, including writer-director Chris Sanders (Lilo & Stitch, How to Train Your Dragon) and stars Lupita Nyong’o and Pedro Pascal. But one of the supporting characters is voiced by an actor of particular interest to the San Diego Comic-Con crowd, which was thrilled to see Star Wars legend Mark Hamill as a surprise addition to the movie’s panel.

    Hamill, of course, is also a storied voice-over actor in addition to his work in a galaxy far, far away (as well as other projects, like Mike Flanagan’s Netflix horror series The Fall of the House of Usher). And he brought his wide range of experiences to voicing Thorn, a grizzly bear, in the animated film adapted from Peter Brown’s illustrated novel. First, though, he explained what drew him to the project.

    “When they asked me to consider being involved [with The Wild Robot], the first thing I did was order the book, and I was just knocked out,” Hamill said. “I thought, if they can capture just a small percentage of the effectiveness of this book—and I have to tell you, they just did a fantastic job. When I went in to do the voice session, they had footage. I thought, well, one of the great things was to look at the book, and they kept that.”

    “But it’s just—you have to see it,” he said. “I feel like back in the day, when I was trying to describe Star Wars without people having seen it. [The Wild Robot] is emotional and it works on so many levels. The kids will love it, but everyone’s going to love it. I remember when my kids were small, [I’d] take them to see these movies [like] The Garbage Pail Kids Movie, [and you had to] keep your opinions to yourself [because the kids are] enjoying it. [But] this is one that the the whole family is just going to fall in love with.”

    When it came to voicing Thorn, Hamill explained, “We always have to take a step back and say, what’s my function in the film, to make everything work? What function do I serve? And one of the aspects of the book and movie is that all these disparate animals are thrown into this situation where they have to restrain themselves. Obviously a bear is a predator, but they have to work for the greater good, so they peacefully coexist with the animals that that would ordinarily be their dinner.”

    Thorn is just one of the creatures that Roz the robot (voiced by Nyong’o) encounters when she’s unexpectedly marooned on an island filled with a wilderness unlike anything she’s ever encountered. It’s a found-family story with plenty of sci-fi elements; it’s also a story where Pascal voices a crafty fox. The rest of the voice cast includes Catherine O’Hara as an opossum, Bill Nighy as a goose, Kit Connor as a gosling, Stephanie Hsu as a rival robot, and Matt Berry as a beaver. Ving Rhames is also in the cast.

    The Wild Robot hits theaters September 27.

    Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

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    Cheryl Eddy

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  • Hollywood Celebrities Including Mark Hamill, John Leguizamo, And Stephen King Celebrate Donald Trump’s Hush Money Trial Verdict

    Hollywood Celebrities Including Mark Hamill, John Leguizamo, And Stephen King Celebrate Donald Trump’s Hush Money Trial Verdict

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    John Leguizamo Breaks Down His Most Iconic Characters | GQ via GQ, YouTube / Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) contemplates murdering Ben Solo (Adam Driver) in Star Wars – Episode VII: The Last Jedi (2017), Lucasfilm / Author Stephen King returns with chilling new book “Holly” via CBS Mornings, YouTube

    In an expected, and fairly disappointing unfolding of events, far-Left Hollywood celebrities have taken to social media to celebrate the result of the Donald Trump verdict, as a New York jury found the former president guilty on all 34 counts in his hush money case.

    President Donald Trump: The 60 Minutes 2020 Election Interview via 60 Minutes, YouTube
    President Donald Trump: The 60 Minutes 2020 Election Interview via 60 Minutes, YouTube

    RELATED: ‘The Apprentice’ Actor Jeremy Strong Defends Mainstream Media As He Compares Donald Trump To Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong, And Nazi Propagandist Joseph Goebbels

    Washed out, unfunny comedian Kathy Griffin responded to a comment that read, “We all hate the SOB with you Kathy! You have been targeted by this thug and he is finally getting in trouble for his mobster antics.”

    “Thank you for saying that. It was awful and he is awful,” Griffin responded, as if willingly forgetting that CNN fired her after a partaking in tasteless photoshoot in which she was seen posing with a gory fake head of then-president of the United States.

    Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) on X
    Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) on X

    Michael Ian Black, yet another unfunny comedian, wrote ahead of the verdict, “Somebody’s sh—ting Big Macs right now.”

    Michael Ian Black (@michaelianblack) on X
    Michael Ian Black (@michaelianblack) on X

    RELATED: Mainstream Media Criticizes ‘The Apprentice’ Biopic For Making Donald Trump Look “Too Sympathetic”

    “The biggest, best conviction like nobody has ever seen,” he would later rejoice.

    Michael Ian Black (@michaelianblack) on X
    Michael Ian Black (@michaelianblack) on X

    In yet another follow-up post, Black would then assert, “Donald Trump is now a convicted felon.”

    Michael Ian Black (@michaelianblack) on X
    Michael Ian Black (@michaelianblack) on X

    The Pest actor John Leguizamo weighed in, writing, “We are all cheering for justice and that no one is above the law!”

    Has-been actress Ellen Barkin reacted to the news, simply writing, “GOD BLESS NEW YORK CITY!!!”

    Ellen Barkin (@EllenBarkin) on X
    Ellen Barkin (@EllenBarkin) on X

    RELATED: Robert De Niro Believes That If Elected, Donald Trump Would Install Himself As Dictator: “His Slogan Should Be ‘F—k America, I Want To F—k America’”

    Can’t Hardly Wait actor Ethan Embry took a jab at not only to the former president but also his supporters, declaring, “F—k Donald Trump and f—k those who support him.”

    Ethan Embry (@EmbryEthan) on X
    Ethan Embry (@EmbryEthan) on X

    Comedian DL Hughley asserted, “It’s weird how 1 felony can prevent you from getting a federal job, but 34 can’t stop you from running for President!”

    DL Hughley (@RealDLHughley) on X
    DL Hughley (@RealDLHughley) on X

    Adding nothing to the conversation, actress Mia Farrow wrote, “Guilty on all 34 counts.”

    Mia Farrow (@MiaFarrow) on X
    Mia Farrow (@MiaFarrow) on X

    RELATED: ‘Reacher’ Star Alan Ritchson Baffled At Religious Support For Donald Trump: “He’s A Rapist And A Con Man, And Yet The Entire Christian Church Seems To Treat Him Like He’s Their Poster Child”

    Another insightful observation was made by actress and singer Bette Midler, who wrote, “GUILTY ON ALL CHARGES!!!!”

    bettemidler (@BetteMidler) on X
    bettemidler (@BetteMidler) on X

    Adding one more exclamation mark than Midler, far-Left actor and filmmaker Rob Reiner wrote, “GUILTY!!!!!”

    Rob Reiner (@robreiner) on X
    Rob Reiner (@robreiner) on X

    In a follow-up post, Reiner then declared, “Donald Trump is a Convicted Felon. Now it’s up to the the[sic] voters of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania to make sure that a Convicted Felon does not become the President of the United States.”

    Rob Reiner (@robreiner) on X
    Rob Reiner (@robreiner) on X

    “Convicted felon Donald Trump is blaming the judge, the jury and New York for being found guilty on 34 counts,” said Barbra Streisand as she reacted to the verdict.”He will never accept accountability for his crimes.”

    She went on, “Americans must not allow this felon anywhere near the White House again.”

    Barbra Streisand (@BarbraStreisand) on X
    Barbra Streisand (@BarbraStreisand) on X

    RELATED: Jimmy Kimmel Sits Down With Group Of Reformed Inmates To Fantasize About Donald Trump Going To Prison

    “The Republican candidate for President is a convicted felon,” pointed out Stephen King.

    Stephen King (@StephenKing) on X
    Stephen King (@StephenKing) on X

    “Trump has tried to put himself in a no-lose position,” the insufferable writer opined in a follow-up post. “If the jury found him innocent, he could have said they saw it for what it was, a politically motivated witch hunt.”

    He further claimed, “Found guilty, he can say it was rigged by Joe Biden, who had nothing to do with it.”

    Stephen King (@StephenKing) on X
    Stephen King (@StephenKing) on X

    In yet another mindless social media post reminiscing of the time he responded to Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Bill, falsely labeled by Leftists as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, Star Wars actor Mark Hamill wrote the word “Guilty” 34 times.

    Mark Hamill (@MarkHamill) on X
    Mark Hamill (@MarkHamill) on X

    RELATED: Mark Ruffalo Offers Half-Hearted Apology After Reposting AI-Generated Images Of Donald Trump With Young Women To Push Epstein Island Narrative, Blames Elon Musk For “Allowing So Much Disinformation” On X

    Former Wonder Woman actress Lynda Carter also took to social media to react to President Trump’s verdict, simply writing, “34 is now my favorite number.”

    Lynda Carter (@RealLyndaCarter) on X
    Lynda Carter (@RealLyndaCarter) on X

    “Election rigging? That’s their thing. The swamp? Oh, that’s on them too. The Accusation always contains the Confession,” wrote Agents of Shield actor Clark Gregg.

    Clark Gregg (@clarkgregg) on X
    Clark Gregg (@clarkgregg) on X

    While far-Left Hollywood rushed to celebrate the New York jury’s verdict, President Trump has promised to appeal it, calling it a “scam” and thanking the support he has received over the past 24 hours.

    “We’re going to be appealing this scam. We’re going to be appealing it on many different things,” Trump said on Friday. “He [Judge Juan Merchan] wouldn’t allow us to have witnesses, he wouldn’t allow us to talk, he wouldn’t allow us to do anything. The judge was a tyrant.”

    A Message from President Donald J. Trump via Trump White House Archived, Youtube
    A Message from President Donald J. Trump via Trump White House Archived, Youtube

    He further declared, “We’re going to fight. I’m wired in such a way that a lot of people would have gone away a long time ago. They would have gone away after impeachment hoaxes,” later adding, “The level of support has been incredible.”

    Addressing the tremendous support he has received following the verdict, specifically regarding his presidential campaign raising the sum of $34.8 million from small-dollar donors, Trump said, “I’m honored.”

    “It’s not that it’s pleasant — it’s very bad for family; it’s very bad for friends and businesses, but I’m honored to be involved in it because somebody has to do it, and I might as well keep going and be the one,” Trump said.

    Official portrait of President Donald J. Trump, Friday, October 6, 2017. (Official White House photo by Shealah Craighead)
    Official portrait of President Donald J. Trump, Friday, October 6, 2017. (Official White House photo by Shealah Craighead)

    “I’m very honored to be involved because we’re fighting for our Constitution,” he went on. “I don’t mind because I’m willing to do whatever I have to do to save our country and to save our Constitution. I don’t mind. This can’t be allowed to happen to other presidents; it should never be allowed to happen in the future.”

    He added, “But this is far beyond me. This is bigger than Trump. This is bigger than me,” before concluding, “Make America great again. Remember November 5.”

    NEXT: Alarmist Actor Robert De Niro Makes Appearance Outside New York Court House, Says “Government Will Perish From The Earth” If Donald Trump Is Reelected

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    Josh Berger

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  • 10 Impeccable Studio Ghibli English Dubs, Including The Boy and the Heron

    10 Impeccable Studio Ghibli English Dubs, Including The Boy and the Heron

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    Image: Studio Ghibli

    In defense of English dubs, no one does it better than Studio Ghibli. It’s not a matter of either-or; with the incredible global talents that span the original Japanese voices and the English casts, it just means we get more!

    With the release of The Boy and the Heron, which features Robert Pattinson’s dedicated vocal bird transformation, we’re looking back at the best Studio Ghibli dubs. When it comes to Hayao Miyazaki’s films, care has always been taken between by the Disney and GKIDS distributors to cast the English roles with incredible talent. It’s no easy feat to perform in sync with animation, let alone in a foreign language, but it helps to have the guidance of directors such as Pixar’s Pete Docter (Howl’s Moving Castle) who approach the task with appropriate reverence. While we understand the importance of subtitles—and we’d never take away from the wonderful work of the original Japanese voice casts—dubs help make the films accessible to more audiences. And as an animation fan, I love dubs because I can bask in the art and storytelling without reading and then revisiting with subtitles. It’s a preference and a gateway for more global animation to travel the world.

    Here’s a list of the top 10 English Studio Ghibli dubs we love.

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    Sabina Graves

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  • Kevin Conroy, longtime voice of animated Batman, dies at 66 | CNN

    Kevin Conroy, longtime voice of animated Batman, dies at 66 | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    Kevin Conroy, the man behind the gravelly bass voice of Batman and who popularized that unmistakable growl that separated Bruce Wayne from the Caped Crusader, has died, according to his representative Gary Miereanu. He was 66.

    DC Comics also confirmed the news.

    Conroy died Thursday, shortly after he was diagnosed with cancer, Miereanu said.

    Conroy’s work in the role is the basis for every iteration of Batman popular culture has seen since. He played Wayne and his superheroic alter ego for years on TV, including on the beloved “Batman: The Animated Series,” and his influence can be heard in the performances of Christian Bale, Robert Pattinson and many more who’ve played the character.

    But few actors can say they’ve played Batman quite as often as Conroy: He appeared in more than 400 episodes of TV as the voice – and once, embodiment – of the Dark Knight.

    Before he was Batman, Conroy regularly performed the work of the Bard: A graduate of Julliard’s esteemed acting program, Conroy appeared in adaptations of Shakespearean works from “Hamlet” to “King Lear,” usually at the Old Globe in San Diego. He appeared on Broadway, too, in “Lolita” and “Eastern Standard.”

    But it’s undoubtedly the Bat for which Conroy is best known. He played Batman in over 60 productions, according to DC (which shares parent company Warner Bros. Discovery with CNN). His first and most enduring addition to the Batman canon is “Batman: The Animated Series,” which ran from 1992-1996, according to DC. In all, he would play the Bat and Bruce in over 15 different animated series (totaling nearly 400 episodes) and 15 films, including “Batman: Mask of the Phantasm.”

    He often played against Mark Hamill, who regularly voiced the Joker in animated projects, including the dark and disturbing “Batman: The Killing Joke.” The two had an obvious chemistry in their vocal performances that echoed the tug-of-war Joker and Batman often played.

    “Kevin was perfection,” Hamill said in a statement to DC. “For several generations, he has been the definitive Batman. It was one of those perfect scenarios where they got the exact right guy for the exact right part, and the world was better for it.”

    But Conroy wasn’t a Batman fan when he began his tenure – all he knew, he said, was Adam West’s campy portrayal from the 1960s. In a 2014 interview, he said he went in blind, one of hundreds of actors auditioning to voice the beloved superhero. To find the character, he turned to his Shakespearean training, saying he saw a bit of Hamlet in Bruce Wayne.

    “I gave life to the character. I think I gave passion to the character,” he said in the 2014 interview. “I approached it from a purely acting perspective. A lot of the fans approach it from the whole ‘bible’ of Batman…It’s humbling to me.”

    In 2019, Conroy finally appeared as a live-action Batman in a crossover episode of several DC TV properties, including “Arrow,” “Batwoman” and “Supergirl.” As a Bruce Wayne from a different universe, Conroy’s hero was battle-worn, depending on a robotic suit to help him walk after a “lifetime of injuries.”

    Conroy related to his best-known character for another reason, too: Like Bruce Wayne, he also hid his insecurities behind a mask – he wasn’t comfortable coming out as gay due to homophobia within his industry. But being Batman helped him find his inner strength, he wrote in a short comic for DC.

    “I often marveled at how appropriate it was that I should land this role. As a gay boy growing up in the ’50s and ‘60s, in a devoutly Catholic family, I’d grown adept at concealing parts of myself,” Conroy wrote in the comic, according to gaming outlet Kotaku.

    Conroy later married Vaughn C. Williams, who survives him, according to DC.

    Batman brought joy to others in times of need, too: A native New Yorker, Conroy felt called after the events of September 11 to work at a food relief station for first responders. One of the men he served recognized him, but a colleague didn’t believe that Conroy really was the voice of Batman. So Conroy performed one of his most famous lines, in that signature bass: “I am vengeance. I am the night. I am Batman!”

    And with that, he proved he was, indeed, Batman and delighted first responders.

    Fans and fellow voice actors mourned Conroy’s loss online.

    Clancy Brown, the voice of Mr. Crabs on “Spongebob Squarepants” and Lex Luthor in several animated series, called Conroy his “hero.” Liam O’Brien, famous for voicing anime series like “Naruto” and several video games, said he’s not sure he’d be a voice actor if he hadn’t been “so inspired by Kevin Conroy.”

    Tara Strong, known for her voice work in “Rugrats” and “Loki” and worked with Conroy on “The New Batman Adventures,” shared a photo of Conroy lying on her lap with a smile. “He IS #Batman,” she wrote.

    Hamill concurred. Many famous men have taken up Batman’s mantle – Bale, Pattinson, Ben Affleck, George Clooney among them – but few have gotten to explore all of the superhero’s emotions and traumas over several decades. For many fans of Batman, Conroy was the first iteration of the Dark Knight they ever knew and loved.

    “He will always be my Batman,” Hamill said.

    During the early days of the pandemic, Conroy shared a clip of himself reciting Shakespeare’s Sonnet 30 from his garden. A bittersweet reflection on lost loved ones and time passed, it ends on a hopeful note, all of which Conroy conveyed in his 45-second, off-the-cuff clip.

    “But if the while I think on thee, dear friend/All losses are restor’d, and sorrows end.”

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  • Iconic Voice Of Batman Goes Silent: Kevin Conroy Dies At 66

    Iconic Voice Of Batman Goes Silent: Kevin Conroy Dies At 66

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    Everyone reading comics imagines the voices of the characters in their own heads. But for the generations that came of age in the wake of Batman: The Animated Series, which began airing in 1992, which first aired aired for 85 episodes on Fox Kids from 1992-1995, the intimidating timbre of the Dark Knight was pegged to one man: voice actor Kevin Conroy. Warner Bros. confirmed that Conroy died Thursday after a battle with cancer at age 66.

    Conroy graduated from Julliard and began his acting career in the late 1970s with various roles in front of the camera, but truly found his voice behind the microphone when he took the dual role of Bruce Wayne and Batman for the groundbreaking WB animation series produced by Bruce Timm, Tim Reuger and Eric Radmoski. The show took its immediate cues from the then-current Batman live action franchise films directed by Tim Burton, but the creators’ vision extended back to the early history of the character and, for many fans, captured the essence of Batman’s appeal.

    Conroy’s voice was the glue that held it together as he modulated between easy-going Bruce Wayne and the clenched and intense growl of Batman. Apparently it took him a handful of episodes to hit his stride. Once he did, it was impossible to imagine anyone bringing as much gravitas to “I am vengeance… I am the night… I am Batman!” than Conroy.

    “Kevin was perfection,” said Mark Hamill, who leant his voice to the iconic version of the Joker in Batman: The Animated Series and beyond. “He was one of my favorite people on the planet, and I loved him like a brother. He truly cared for the people around him – his decency shone through everything he did. Every time I saw him or spoke with him, my spirits were elevated.”

    Conroy voiced the character in dozens of animated series, feature films, video games and other media over three decades, while becoming a popular figure on the convention circuit. In 2019, he finally got to bring his definitive Dark Knight to a live action portrayal of the aged Bruce Wayne in the “Crisis on Infinite Earths” episode of the CW series Batwoman.

    Conroy, who was gay, wrote about his experience with the character in a story called “Finding Batman” in DC Comics’ Pride Anthology. He is survived by his husband, Vaughan Williams.

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    Rob Salkowitz, Senior Contributor

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  • Actors Who Took the Longest Break Before Returning to Iconic Roles

    Actors Who Took the Longest Break Before Returning to Iconic Roles

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    It’s hard to always predict which movies are going to live on as classics. While you might assume something like Star Wars was always destined for greatness, the truth is that you never really know which movies are bound to become pop culture touchstones. The actors in these movies don’t know, either — what starts off as a one-time movie deal might turn into a lucrative franchise run. In other cases, a movie sequel or reboot may lie dormant for several years, and when it finally does happen? Those actors prepare to return to a role they haven’t touched in decades.

    Since Hollywood can be so unpredictable, it’s never quite clear what the future holds for a movie franchise. In some situations, a franchise completely starts fresh with new characters. This creates the opportunity for the original actors to come back and make a cameo. There are some movies, however, where those original actors serve as the leads of that sequel — a good example would be Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels as Harry and Lloyd in 2014’s Dumb and Dumber To. There’s something undeniably special about seeing an actor reappear as a certain character so many years — even though they may look a bit older, they still bring the same energy to the table.

    For some performers, one iconic role becomes the gift that keeps on giving. No matter how much time goes by, that character will always be a defining part of their career. These actors returned to their roles decades after their first appearance on screen.

    13 Actors Who Returned To Iconic Roles Decades Later

    What Happened To Your Favorite Child Actors After They Left Hollywood

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    Claire Epting

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  • ‘Svengoolie’ horror host Rich Koz gets a Halloween tribute

    ‘Svengoolie’ horror host Rich Koz gets a Halloween tribute

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    LOS ANGELES — Rich Koz is keeping the grandly eccentric tradition of the horror movie host alive on MeTV’s “Svengoolie” and can count Mark Hamill, Joe Mantegna and, just maybe, Lady Gaga among his fans.

    But it’s a compliment he received from Rick Baker, a seven-time Oscar winner for special make-up effects, that most gratifies him. Koz has played the wisecracking, endearingly cheesy, old-school-horror-loving Svengoolie for nearly three decades.

    “’I own all these movies, but the reason I watch your show is I want to see you,’” Koz recalled Baker telling him when they met a few years ago at Comic-Con in New York.

    Koz, whose low-key sincerity contrasts with his star turn as the outlandishly costumed Svengoolie, was anointed by the character’s originator, Jerry G. Bishop, as his successor. Koz gives the horror and sci-fi movies he showcases on Saturday nights more credit than his comic accompaniment, which tends to favor corny puns and props.

    “I think it definitely is the films,” he said. “I know when we started doing this stuff, I don’t think, for example, the Universal classics had run in a lot of television markets for more than 20 years.”

    He counts all the studio’s original monster films as personal favorites, including “Frankenstein” with Boris Karloff and “Dracula” starring Bela Lugosi, both released in 1931, and “The Wolf Man” with Lon Chaney Jr. from 1941.

    “Jumping to the 1950s, ‘The Creature from the Black Lagoon,’ which I think was one of the most original of the monsters,” he said. “And I have to admit, ‘Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein’ is another favorite of mine,” Koz said of the 1948 film starring the famed comedy duo of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello.

    Giving viewers details and history about actors and films is important to Koz, who draws on the extensive book collection he began long before coming to TV.

    The comic trappings are a “Svengoolie” draw, Koz acknowledges, and he clearly gets a kick out of writing and performing them. That includes ditties that he sings with piano backup from his longtime friend and professional musician Doug Scharf (“Svengoolie” stage name, cue the groans: Doug Graves). Also in the cast is Kerwyn, a chicken puppet voiced by Koz, who is distinct from the rubber chickens that pelt the host when he delivers an especially bad joke.

    Koz, a native of the Chicago suburb of Morton Grove who never left town, ended up working with radio and TV personality Bishop after sending him comedy material. Bishop’s hippie version of “Svengoolie” aired locally for a few years in the early 1970s, with Koz succeeding him as “Son of Svengoolie” from 1979 to 1986. When he consulted Bishop about reviving it in 1995, his mentor told him, “’You’re all grown up, just be Svengoolie.’”

    “He was so kind to more or less turn the keys to the franchise over to me, and more important, that he had the faith in me and felt I could do it. I owe everything to him,” Koz said of Bishop, who died in 2013.

    Koz gets a deserved MeTV tribute throughout October dubbed “Svengoolie’s Halloween BOOnanza.” The host, as usual, will be dressed appropriately: comically ghoulish makeup — Koz does his own — flowing dark wig, top hat and peaked-lapel jacket in formal black.

    The salute includes “Svengoolie Uncrypted,” which Koz describes as a “documentary-slash-entertainment program” that details his career and follows him to horror conventions. MeTV promises a “crypt-shaking special reveal” in the hourlong special airing at 9 p.m. EDT Saturday on the broadcast network.

    It’s proceeded at 7 p.m. EDT by a showing of “Trilogy of Terror,” the 1975 TV movie starring Karen Black that became a cult classic for the final segment in which Black’s character is terrorized by a fetish doll come to life. Also, the second season of “Sventoonie,” the animated companion series to “Svengoolie,” will debut with a one-hour episode (10 p.m. EDT).

    Sundays throughout October will feature Halloween-themed blocks of scary episodes from shows that fit MeTV’s vintage series portfolio, including “The Brady Bunch,” “My Three Sons” and “Kolchak: The Night Stalker,” with Koz planning to pop up throughout.

    Koz credits Neal Sabin, vice chairman of MeTV-owner Weigel Broadcasting, for his efforts to secure films in an increasingly competitive TV marketplace. Sabin spent some three years working to get “Trilogy of Terror,” Koz said.

    Sabin said both Koz and the show are worth the effort. “Svengoolie,” which had been airing on local TV in Chicago, where it’s produced, gained national distribution on MeTV in 2011 and performs well for the network.

    “Rich is the real deal. He does something that most television people don’t do. He writes all his own material, he hosts the show, which is produced with three to four people,” Sabin said. The company has trusted him with creative freedom and in return “he has delivered a kitschy, classy MeTV program for us.”

    Hamill, of “Star Wars” fame, has expressed his affection for the show both to Koz and on social media over the years, posing in a “Svengoolie” T-shirt and, in a 2013 tweet, complimenting the set’s “awesome new coffin.”

    Joe Mantegna (“Criminal Minds”) gave Koz an appreciative YouTube shoutout last January, and a photo on Lady Gaga’s Twitter feed in 2020 showed her in a black sweatshirt with a partially visible Svengoolie “Official Chicken Thrower” logo. There was no immediate reply to an email requesting comment from the actor-pop star’s representative.

    Koz, 70, said he has no plans to say farewell to the show or to the character.

    “I always told myself that I would keep doing it as long as I was healthy enough and as long as I was enjoying it,” he said. “Right now, I’m still having a great time with it.”

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  • Mark Hamill made ambassador in support of Ukraine Army of Drones project | CNN

    Mark Hamill made ambassador in support of Ukraine Army of Drones project | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    May the force be with him.

    “Star Wars” star Mark Hamill has been made an ambassador for the UNITED24 fundraising platform, where he will work in support of the Army of Drones project to benefit Ukraine.

    His introduction as an ambassador took place during an online call on Thursday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who expressed his gratitude for Hamill’s support since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

    “Mark, you have become the first ambassador to help Ukraine raise funds to support its defenders,” Zelenskyy said. “For Ukrainians, this means a lot. As in ‘Star Wars,’ good will triumph over evil and light will overcome darkness. With you in the team, there’s no other way around it.”

    “In this long and unequal fight, Ukraine needs continuous additional support. That’s why I was honored President Zelenskyy asked me to become an ambassador for the Army of Drones,” Hamill said in a statement.

    “I know for certain that Ukrainians need drones to protect their land, their freedom and the values of the entire democratic world,” he added. “Right now is the best time for everyone to come together and help Ukraine stand up in this war with the evil empire.”

    Hamill also tweeted about it on Thursday.

    “Honored to be an Ambassador for the Army of Drones and to help President Zelenskyy and the people of Ukraine in any way possible,” he wrote.

    The Army of Drones project is a program of the fundraising platform UNITED24, Ukraine’s General Staff of the Armed Forces, the Ministry of Digital Transformation and the State Special Communications Service, which provides for the regular procurement of drones, their repair and prompt replacement, and pilot training.

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