THE DARK CRYSTAL: AOR
Talking puppets with Mark Hamill and Taron Egerton. Or if you will, a Pod-cast.
Thirty-seven years after the original Jim Henson movie, it’s finally time to go back to Thra with The Dark Crystal: Age Of Resistance. Netflix’s 10-part, all-puppet prequel series features an extraordinary array of voice talent on both sides of the gelfling/ skeksis divide. Small Screen caught up with two of the leading larynxes, Taron Egerton and Mark Hamill, at last month’s San Diego Comic-Con…
What are your memories of the original movie?
Taron Egerton: My dad showed it to me when I was about six. I thought it was completely enchanting and quite scary, but in a very exciting way. So when I got the call, I basically bit Louis’ [Leterrier, director] hand off.
Mark Hamill: What I loved was how dark and daring it was, compared with other projects associated with The Muppets. It’s really come into its own; a bit like Return To Oz, which was criticised for being too dark, but over the years has gained a real following. Taron, tell us about your character… TE: I play a gelfling – always wanted to say that – called Rian, whose community is living in service to the skeksis but aren’t aware of their true nature. And after something horrifying happens in the first episode, Rian sets out on a quest to make his fellow gelfings see what the skeksis are… Mark, you play skeksis The Scientist – another animated baddie! MH: I don’t know how it happened, but since I first played a certain berserk
clown [the Joker] I’ve become typecast as a villain in voiceover. It was quite exhausting doing [The Scientist’s] voice, especially when I then had to do what’s called a ‘presence pass’, where you look at the footage and record all the effort noises, walking noises, breathing… and after a solid hour of that you get light-headed. Who needs drugs? Just do a presence pass!
TE: I’d love to say I lived as a gelfling for six months, but I didn’t. But
[Rian] was a very, very physical role, something that demanded a lot of energy in the booth. It was great finding the character’s voice, the balance of him being young and boyish but also mature and a leader.
Neither of you got to work with your fellow voice actors…
MH: That’s the preferred method. Back in the day, on the Batman animated series, the whole cast was there, reading in continuity, like a radio play. Nowadays, the producers like to micromanage your performance, so you’re recorded separately. Which is kind of a shame. When I came in and saw this finished, magnificent footage, I was saying, “Who’s playing that part? This cast is amazing – where are they today? Where’s Eddie Izzard?”
TE: It’s such a rarity to record together. I’ve never done it. I think there are times when it’s merited – like Seth Rogen and Bill Eichner [on The Lion King], that makes sense for Timon and Pumbaa. But for something like this, it’s so many different crafts coming together; it’s so compartmentalised. Taron, what do you think of being an action figure? TE: I think enough about it to Instagram it! Without wishing to romanticise my career too much, I’m from a rural Welsh town, from a family that never earned more than £25,000 a year. And now I have an action figure! It’s amazing. I love it. Love it, love it. Let’s hope it doesn’t all fall apart… Matthew Leyland
The Dark CrysTal: age Of resisTanCe launChes On neTflix On 30 augusT.