Mark Hamill Was Nearly Unrecognizable In This Overlooked Historical Drama Series

When the History Channel's historical drama series "Knightfall" returned for its second (and ultimately final) season in 2019, it brought another heavy dose of medieval action to the small screen. It also rendered "Star Wars" alum and voice actor extraordinaire Mark Hamill unrecognizable under extensive hair and makeup when he joined the cast as Talus. Set in the 14th century, "Knightfall" chronicled the twilight years of the Knights Templar and their quest for the elusive Holy Grail. The cast was led by Tom Cullen, who played the fallen Templar knight Landry de Lauzon, and Pádraic Delaney, who played the master swordsman Gawain. Hamill's Talus was a battle-scarred, no-nonsense veteran tasked with whipping a fresh batch of unseasoned initiates into shape.

Hamill underwent a major transformation to bring the weathered warrior to life, adopting a sweeping, Gandalf-esque beard and a rugged exterior. In fact, even he barely recognized himself. During an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Hamill recalled his initial reaction to this complete makeover. "You're completely transformed to the point where you look in the mirror and you go, 'It's not me!' So it gives you license to be comfortable doing and saying things you never would in your real life." Hamill also opened up to The Hollywood Reporter about relishing the rare chance to disappear into a role. "It really liberates you to take chances and do things that you wouldn't ordinarily do," he said.

Mark Hamill was ready and willing to leave his comfort zone for the role of Talus, but being prepared to do something and actually doing it are two different things entirely. The beloved actor quickly discovered that "Knightfall" wasn't going to be a walk in the park. "There was a point during 'Knightfall' where I thought, 'Maybe I've bitten off more than I can chew,'" he admitted, revealing that he worked 16-hour days. "I think there's a weariness that's genuine in my performance."

That weariness didn't make his performance any less enjoyable — in fact, Hamill came in for particular praise from viewers. IMDb reviewer davish_wulf-1 wrote that it was "one of his finest roles ever," while user ryanwalton-39615 said Hamill "was a thrill to watch," adding, "you could tell he was enjoying himself within this role." User dinoluigivercotti went as far as saying that Hamill "showed up" the other actors with his performance.

Away from Hamill's memorable turn in Season 2, "Knightfall" received generally mixed reviews. It has a modest 6.8 rating on IMDb and a middling 57% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, though the audience score is a solid 75%.According to The Hollywood Reporter, the show was averaging 650,000 viewers, numbers that weren't considered sustainable beyond the second season. If you want to watch it — even just for Hamill's performance — you can stream "Knightfall" for free on Tubi.