Mark Hamill Was Intimidated About Voicing Chucky in Child’s Play

Mark Hamill felt the weight of Brad Dourif’s iconic work as Chucky when he signed on to do the role in the latest Child’s Play. Hamill, who is the voice of the killer doll in the new remake of the classic horror film, said at a press conference this week (per Den of Geek) that only after coming on board did he feel the pressure, but that once he did more intimidated than at any point since he took on the role of the Joker.

“I got a letter from [director] Lars [Klevberg],” Hamill said. “He already laid out his vision for the film, before I read it. And then they sent me this script and I thought the crucial element that was different from the original, which I love — I’m a huge fan of Brad’s interpretation — Chucky has a different origin. So 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.”

He went on to say, “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.’ I didn’t feel that kind of intimidation until it sunk in that I was doing this. 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.”

The film is set to release on June 21st.