Star Wars' Mark Hamill Is Embracing Dark Side in 'What We Do in the Shadows'

The What We Do In The Shadows series on FX (Disney+ Hotstar in India) is one of the funniest gothic comedy show around right now. It has come from the brains of Taika Waititi and nobody expected anything less there. As if the current hilarious ride was not enough, Star Wars legend Mark Hamill has unveiled the first look of his cameo character on the show and expectations from the show just reached sky-high.

This is some coincidence. On Star Wars Day, Lucasfilms announced that director Taika Waititi will be directing a new Star Wars feature film. He will be co-writing the script with Oscar-nominated screenplay writer Krysty Wilson-Cairns who co-wrote director Sam Mendes' World War I epic 1917. Waititi is not new to the Star Wars franchise having voiced gun-toting robot IG-11 and directed an episode of The Mandalorian series. But this is will be the first time Hamill aka Luke Skywalker will step foot on one of Waititi's turfs.

Entertainment Weekly revealed Hamill's first look as an ancient vampire who is an enemy of Laszlo, played by comedian Matt Berry. White long hair, leather gloves, maroon robes, and gold embroidered cape make Hamill look ancient alright, but the final touch is the fangs and exasperated hand gestures that are already putting a smile on a lot of faces.

Hamill was first introduced to the original movie by Waititi and Jemaine Clement by his son Nathan on Father's Day. Instead of watching Life With Father, Nathan suggested that the family watch What We Do In the Shadows. The concept of a reality show/mockumentary on the lives of vampires in modern-day New Zealand intrigued The Killing Joke star. The combination of horror with the comedy of mundane made it one of Hamill's most favourite movies ever.

"When I heard they were making a TV series, I thought I needed to lower my expectations. Neither Taika nor Jemaine was going to be acting in it, but I heard they were behind it so I remained hopeful. We saw the pilot and, not only was it on par with the film, but it added elements that I had never heard before like the addition of the energy vampire. The whole cast is one of the best ensembles in television history. I would've been happy just visiting the set, they certainly didn't need me to come in and mess it up somehow. But I thought I would check out the script and see what they had in mind. I expected the role to be like the next-door neighbour or someone who works at the Department of Motor Vehicles. When I read I was going to play a vampire, I just about shot out of my chair. What a great honour!"

Series executive producer and co-showrunner Paul Simms told the website that they knew that Hamill understood what the show is about when they saw his tweets about the movie and the show. "He seemed perfect for the part because he has the gravitas to play an ancient vampire rival, he’s not afraid to be silly, and he knows a thing or two about extended fight scenes," said Simms.

Because his mysterious vampire is an enemy of Lazslo, Hamill is sharing most of his screentime on the show with Matt Berry. Berry has been hilarious in cult favourite comedies such as The IT Crowd and Toast of London. Hamill had a hard time staying in character when Berry was shooting off each line 'more obscene and profane than the next.' "One of the real challenges of working with Matt was trying to keep a straight face when he would improvise," Hamill said.

Hamill's Skywalker shadow looms large on everything he does. But him getting into the macabre comedy and flashing some fangs was something nobody would have imagined. What We Do In Shadows has had some stunning cameos before. An entire episode about the Vampiric Council brought many powerhouses of Hollywood together. Tilda Swinton presided as the head of the council. It included Waititi, Clement, and Jonathan Brugh from the original movie. Evan Rachel Wood, Danny Trejo, Paul Reubens, and iconic vampire of all time Wesley Snipes from Blade franchise. It was a casting coup and a brilliant one at that.

Vanessa Bayer, Nick Kroll, Dave Bautista, Craig Robinson, and Benedict Wong are also a few notable stars to have a story arc in the show.

Watching Hamill do a 180 in the dark of the night shall be fascinating.

Cover artwork by Dhaval Punatar/AskMen India