Mark Hamill Facts That Will Surprise Even His Biggest Fans

Screenwriter Ed Solomon shared a heartwarming story about Mark Hamill on Twitter. Solomon, who didn't know Hamill, called the actor's agent on behalf of a friend's terminally ill son. He recalled, "Not knowing Mark, I called his agent and explained that this lovely boy watched Star Wars every day and wanted to meet NOT Mark Hamill, but, rather, the actual character that he played."

The boy's mental state had degraded to the point where he couldn't tell fiction from reality, and he believed Luke Skywalker to be a real person. The agent called Hamill, and within 90 seconds, the actor called, asking for the boy's address. He spent hours answering the fan's questions, but not as Mark Hamill - he went as Luke Skywalker and played the character by the boy's bedside. The story went viral, and Hamill tweeted about the meeting:

There's no sweeter sound than a child laughing - I 've been so lucky - feel it's my duty [to] give back in any way I can - Much prefer visits [to] hospitals than talk-shows. Heartbreaking but inspirational - makes my career seem trivial in comparison - Wish I could do more.

"He was compassionate, kind, and patient," Solomon said. "And it literally meant the world to this kid and his family."

After the meeting and the responses on Twitter, Carrie Fisher readily agreed to talk to the boy as Leia, but he deteriorated before she could meet him. 

Robert Englund is best known to the world as Freddy Krueger from the Nightmare on Elm Street films, a character he's played for decades. But his career might have taken a different path had his audition for the role of Han Solo gone a little better. He lost that role to Harrison Ford, and when he went home, had a conversation with a young man named Mark Hamill.

Englund said in a Yahoo "Role Recall" interview:

And then I went home and told a little kid that was sleeping on my couch, after a six-pack of Heineken, all about [Star Wars], and his name was Mark Hamill. I said, "Hey, Lucas is doing this space movie. Maybe you’re right for it. The lead guy’s like a teenager"... So Mark got on the phone to his agent, and I think he went up the next day. He nailed it, and the rest is history.

When Mark Hamill first got his hands on the script for the first Star Wars film, he thought it was a parody, recalling his response in an interview: "Is this a parody? Is this sincere? Mel Brooks?" He went on to say it was the goofiest script he'd ever read. When he saw The Empire Strikes Back script, he had a completely different reaction:

Nothing could have prepared me for reading The Empire Strikes Back. It was so much more challenging for the audience... demanding so much more. It was more spiritual, it was deeper. 

And he had yet another reaction upon seeing the script for Return of the Jedi:

I remember saying to [co-screenwriter] George [Lucas] that I was a little disappointed in the script for [Return of the] Jedi... he reminded me that these movies are meant for kids. He had to remind me what the original intent was, and I agreed with him. But, you know, as an actor, you always want to play your evil twin.

In 2017, Hamill appeared on the show Jamie & Jimmy’s Friday Night Feast, a UK TV series hosted by Jamie Oliver and Jimmy Doherty. Hamill said during the program that his interest in cooking started when he was a kid: "I wanted a chemistry set, and my father said no... But my mum said, 'I’ll show you chemistry. Come into the kitchen,' and I became fascinated by it." 

Jamie & Jimmy’s Friday Night Feast features guests who choose a recipe to cook. Hamill picked Yorkshire pudding, a recipe he'd had problems with in the past because he couldn't get the dish to rise. Previously, the Royal Society of Chemistry had released a "scientifically valid recipe" for Yorkshire pudding, so the show contacted the organization for hints to help Hamill.

During the program's taping, members of the society stopped by to make Hamill an affiliate member of the RSC - and give him the chemistry set he never got as a child.

"As someone who has fueled the scientific imaginations of millions of people around the world, he helps us shape the future of the chemical sciences for the benefit of science and humanity," said the organization's president, Sir John Holman.

Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa are twins, which everyone now knows. But back in 1977, before this fact was revealed, Luke was a hero, Leia was a princess, and in most cases, the hero gets the girl. Mark Hamill's grandfather was unhappy this didn't happen. The one thing he didn't like about the first Star Wars film was that Luke didn't get to "marry the princess in the end."

Hamill responded to his grandfather with, "Hang around for the sequel, who knows?!"

Mark Hamill's career certainly began with Star Wars, and he hasn't failed to show his appreciation to the fans over the years. He makes appearances at comic book and sci-fi conventions but doesn't always go as himself. At San Diego Comic-Con in 2018, Hamill dressed as a Stormtrooper and met with fans, but nobody knew it was him. 

He tweeted and dropped some hints about his true identity, but nobody picked up on it. He clearly has a sense of humor; Hamill posted the following on his Instagram account:

#SDCC DAY 3 WISH LIST: A) Don't arouse any suspicions it's me because I'm too short for this costume B) Find that ultra-rare comic book I need to complete my collection C) Get @NathanHamill's autograph (if I can find Booth #1415) D) Find the perfect nacho