Awards season is hotting up, with the films that will be big hitters at this year's Academy Awards beginning to become clear. However, there's one name that's not been in the discussion and really should be: Mark Hamill deserves an Oscar nomination for his performance as Luke Skywalker.As the box office gross for Star Wars: The Last Jedi soared past $1bn, taking 3rd place so far in the list of 2017's highest grossing films, the much anticipated 8th part in the saga continues to inspire heated conversations. Whatever side you lie on in the debate over the movie's merits and its place in the canon of one of pop culture's most iconic franchises, though, there is much for fans and skeptics alike to agree on: stunning special effects, dazzling cinematography, music that signals some of John Williams's finest work in the series, and the performance of a certain Mark Hamill.Related: Mark Hamill Regrets His Last Jedi CriticismsHamill's return to Star Wars was as hotly hyped as the return of Star Wars itself. Generations have grown up with Luke Skywalker and greatly anticipated his return to the big screen, something that also offered Hamill another much-deserved starring role. The actor has worked steadily for the past several decades, most notably in the realm of voiceover work, where he became perhaps the definitive version of The Joker in Batman: The Animated Series, and performances in the theatre. Yet for the majority of casual viewers, he will forever be known as Skywalker. To see him return to the role wasn't just satisfying on a geeky or pure nostalgia level: it was a much-needed reminder of how damn good Hamill is as an actor.Indeed, Hamill's performance as the older Skywalker is arguably the finest of his career, and in a year where the acting Oscar races are open, it's only fair that we include Hamill's work among them.
Which Actors Have The Chance At An Oscar This Year?
Right now, with awards season in full swing and the nominations announcement coming on January 23rd, the possibilities for each category are strong, varied, and for the first time in many years, tough to accurately predict. Best Actor's front-runners so far include rising stars - Timothée Chalamet for Call Me By Your Name long-time favorites - Gary Oldman for Darkest Hour and surprise entrants, including James Franco's turn as Tommy Wiseau in The Disaster Artist to Daniel Kaluuya's star making work in Get Out. Meanwhile, the frontrunner for Best Supporting Actor seems to be Willem Dafoe for The Florida Project, although competition is tough with expected nominees including Armie Hammer and Michael Stuhlbarg for Call Me By Your Name, Sam Rockwell for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, and Richard Jenkins for The Shape of Water.
Whatever the case, even with these names, big and small, in contention and with each of them making splashes with critics and awards voters, it would be foolish to assume that the Oscars race is all said and done before it's really begun. Indeed, this is a time of change, and as signalled by the shock success of last year's Best Picture winner, Moonlight, anything could happen. So why not mount a full-blown and much deserved Oscar campaign for Mark Hamill?
Why Mark Hamill Deserves An Oscar Nomination
Hamill's performance in The Last Jedi is the kind of work that only he could do: the gargantuan force of decades of expectations and cult-like adoration weighs heavily on his shoulders in those early scenes with Rey. This is the work of an actor who knows the work of being Luke Skywalker and what that really means. He's spent decades with that and it shows, as he uses those many years of emotions to optimum effect. He perfectly embodies the exhaustion and guilt that follows Luke everywhere, as well as the defeat of having your ego repeatedly punctured by reality, which in his case is his inability to deal with the growing powers of his nephew Ben Solo, soon to become Kylo Ren.
On top of being admittedly rather badass, Hamill is also incredibly funny in the role. Some fans had issue with Star Wars 8's comedy, especially in these scenes, but there's no denying that Hamill absolutely nails them. Skywalker's humour is that of a cranky pessimistic hermit who's spent way too much time talking to porgs out of boredom, and Hamill plays that with such verve. There are few moments in 2017 film that are as funny as Luke using œthe Force on Rey with a leaf, and it's mostly thanks to Hamill.
Read More: General Hux's Comedy In The Last Jedi Made Sense
Can Mark Hamill Actually Get Nominated For An Oscar?
Hamill is an undeniable triumph in The Last Jedi, balancing humour with pathos and regret, and a side-order of action hero. If there's any justice, his work here will inspire Hollywood to give him more substantive live-action work, but for now, this is a performance that deserves real recognition from the Academy. It's not out of the realm of possibility remember, Alec Guinness landed a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his work as Obi Wan Kenobi in Star Wars, back in 1977 but it's still an uphill struggle. For all the changes that have been made to the Oscars in an effort to make the ceremony more inclusive along lines of both representation and content, they still have a block when it comes to celebrating blockbusters and genre film outside of technical categories.
Science-fiction and superhero fare doesn't play well to Academy voters outside of special effects and the like, although there are exceptions, the most notable being the late Heath Ledger winning Best Supporting Actor for The Dark Knight. A lot of this has to do with good old fashioned snobbery, but many also struggle to see the skill that goes into a performance like Hamill's in The Last Jedi. It takes impeccable control to make millions of people buy into a character that could be so cliched and uninspiring in the wrong hands, but many downplay the real work that requires. It's also one of the reasons that films like this, as well as acclaimed superhero dramas such as last year's Logan, probably won't get the Best Picture nominations they easily deserve: the flashy elements will get their dues, but the complete product is seldom given the same consideration. It's just not Oscar fare, as much as it deserves to be.
If Disney and Lucasfilm are willing to put in the work and mount a substantial campaign for Hamill, it very well could happen. There's a lot of industry goodwill for the actor, The Last Jedi has played extremely well with audiences and critics alike, and the studios certainly have the money and resources to get his name out there among the major contenders. He would certainly be at a disadvantage compared to those peers, many of whom have other awards nominations under their belts, but every year we're surprised by at least one of the major acting nods, so why not go for it?
According to Disney's own awards consideration campaigns, they are pushing Hamill as lead actor over supporting, where he may have had a better shot at a nomination, but the door is certainly open for him to get into that top five.
Related: Luke's Death Was The Right Way To End The Last Jedi
Mark Hamill has been ignored by many in the industry for too long, overshadowed by the memory of young Skywalker, but now, he's shown the world what they've been missing for so long and it's about time they recognized that. It's expected for Star Wars: The Last Jedi to snatch up a few Oscar nominations in technical categories, but it really needs Mark Hamill to be considered for Best Actor.
Next: The Last Jedi: All The Clues You Missed That Give Away Luke's Force Illusion
