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by Steve K. Welz New York--Because of his boyishly good looks and his infec­ tious charm, not to mention the mega-success of his role as Luke Skywalker in Star Wars' and 'The Empire Strikes Back,' Mark Hamill is revered by the press and fans alike as one of Hollywood's hottest male superstars. But Mark is aware that 'tinsel- town's' finicky producers are still no{ convinced of his ability to slide into another role without the Luke Skywalker persona and still draw at the box-office. And that is precisely why the glib 28 year-old &tar has been keeping his fingers crossed. His latest effort 'The Big Red One,' ? major motion picture dealing with battle scarred-Amer­ ican soldiers ?on the move through North Africa and Europe during World War II, is being featured in movie theaters all over the globe. "Actually, I'd like to play a psychotic killer from Czechoslova­ kia," Mark blurted half-jokngly as he segued into an explanation as to how difficult this new role was for him. "We shot the movie on location in Israel which was oppres­ sively hot. But what was so riveting was tha\t we were making it in a country that really is at war. That's the ultimate irony! "I was emotionally and physically drained from the work that was put into this film, which I felt was quite good. I actually did too much research on my character, Griff, and you know how I prepared for this role? I read The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich' and John Toland's 'Hitler' while I was travel­ ing on a plane for a series of 'Star Wars' meetings. I do realize though, that I need another success so that the studios can try and re-sell me to the public." Gratification/frustration Of course Mark has enjoyed the adulation and the financial benefits that have been reaped from the 'Star Wars'/ Empire Strikes Back* phenomena, and feels that the galactic-anthology will have its' place in cinematic history. Hamill added, "It's gratifying to me when I tell people on the street that after 'Revenge of the Jedi' (the next 'Star Wars' pic), I'll be finished, as well as Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher). And people say, 'You mean you're not going to be in it?' They really are concerned and that's nice." But the question marks regard­ ing his overall dramatic Credibility still gnaw at him. " 'Star Wars' just didn't generate the scripts that I was looking for.- I'm optimistic about 'The Big Red One,' but the jury is still out, and I'm a bit frustrated about losing roles that I didn't even get the chance to try out for while I was doing 'Star Wars' films, like 'Tribute,' 'Midnight Express' and 'Fade to Black.' But I'm not denigrating anybody though, because I recently had the opportunity to read for Ragtime' and I blame myself because I wasn't right for the part," Hamill revealed. So while 'The Big Red One' could 'combat' those critics who feel that Mark Hamill is a one-dimensional actor, the good looking star will continue to push for better roles and gear up for 'Revenge of the Jedi.' "I never tried to create an image, but now that I've got this handle, my job as an actor is to broaden it. It's ever evolving," claimed Hamill. Yoda couldn't have said it any better. TV COMNAOA URVICCI. INC B MEDIA MONITOR Hamill looks to conquer 'Force-d' image