Mark Hamill says voicing Chucky was as intimidating as voicing The Joker

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Mark Hamill is known to fans all over the world for two roles – the hero of the galaxy Luke Skywalker in STAR WARS and for his voice work as Batman’s nemesis, The Joker in BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES. Taking on the job as the latter was probably very intimidating given that he was stepping into the role of a villain with such a rich history, and that pressure came roaring back when he was hired to lend his voice to the murderous doll Chucky in the CHILD’S PLAY remake.

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Hamill was at a press event in LA to promote the new horror movie (via Den of Geek), where he talked about landing the job as Chucky, the killer doll in overalls, and how being given that responsibility was as intimidating for him as landing the gig as Joker almost 30 years ago.

When I agreed to it, and it sunk in that they wanted me to do this, I felt intimidation like I hadn't felt since I did the Joker. I thought, when I auditioned for the Joker, there's no way they're going to cast this icon of virtue, Luke Skywalker, as the Joker. Forget about it. So I had no performance anxiety because I knew they couldn't hire me. It's only when they hired me that I really thought, ‘Oh no, I can't do this because so many people have expectations of what he's supposed to sound like.’

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“I didn't feel that kind of intimidation until it sunk in that I was doing this,” continues Hamill, throwing in how much he loves the work of the original voice actor, Brad Dourif. “I love Brad. It's a great responsibility, so I’m anxious to see how people react because it's not the Chucky that we all know from before.”

Hamill's intimidationn is not misplaced, as Dourif had defined the character's voice for the entire run of the previous movies, starting with the first CHILD'S PLAY and all the way through 2017's CULT OF CHUCKY. With the new movie comes a new era for the doll with anger issues, and Hamill discussed that difference saying, "it's not the soul of a serial killer, but someone deliberately goes in and alters his operating system and takes off the safety measures.”

While the ultimate quality of the movie remains to be seen, but I have confidence in Hamill to lend some seriously creepy vocals to the red-haired murderer. He's already proven an expert in blending humor and viciousness with Joker – for both the animated show and the Batman video games – and I think he can bring that same villainous magic to the iconic doll. 

CHILD'S PLAY is in theaters June 21.