How Freddy Krueger Helped Luke Skywalker for Star Wars!

Mark Hamill

While sitting down for an extensive Role Recall chat with Yahoo Movies, actor Robert Englund who played Freddy Krueger in the Nightmare on Elm Street movies, shared a very interesting bit from his carrer that helped Mark Hamil get the role of Luke Skywalker back in 1977…

 

From YahooMovies:

The actor describes how, long before he’d first don Freddy’s fedora and bladed glove, he had gone out for one of the surfer roles in Apocalypse Now. He was told he was too old for the part, but was then directed across the hallway, where they were holding auditions for a mysterious science fiction film called Star Wars. (The directors of those two films, Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas, were good friends, and in fact Lucas was originally slated to direct Apocalypse).

 

Englund was seen for the role of Han Solo, which of course would go to Harrison Ford, but was told this time he was deemed too young (Englund says that at the time they were looking at Tom Selleck, but he may be confusing that with another role that would go to Ford, Indiana Jones, in which the Magnum, P.I. actor was once considered the top choice).

 

freddy-kreuger-robert-englund

“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,” Englund recalls. “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.”

 

Hamill, a relatively unknown TV actor prior to landing what would prove the role of a lifetime, rewarded his good buddy Englund with scoop from the set. “When he got back from Star Wars, I got all the gossip,” the Elm Street vet says. “Not only did he have a huge crush on Carrie Fisher, but I heard all the stories.

 

“He knew always that it was going to be this amazing, iconic thing.”

 

You can see the video at YahooMovies

 

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Founder of SWNN, MNN and The Cantina forums.

Born on April 24, 1980.

Val Trichkov (Viral Hide)

Founder of SWNN, MNN and The Cantina forums.Born on April 24, 1980.

14 thoughts on “How Freddy Krueger Helped Luke Skywalker for Star Wars!

  • November 5, 2014 at 10:48 pm
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    “Not only did he have a huge crush on Carrie Fisher, but I heard all the stories.”

    Looks like they got the right farm boy.

    • November 6, 2014 at 10:23 am
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      Clickbait, nothing more.

  • November 5, 2014 at 11:12 pm
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    What?!? He had a crush on his sister?!?! That’s freaking discusting!!!!

    • November 8, 2014 at 2:01 pm
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      When they were making the original movie, no one (including George Lucas) knew that Leia was Luke’s sister. So nothing to worry about for Mark or Carrie, either.

  • November 5, 2014 at 11:43 pm
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    Strange…I always heard she dated Harrison (don´t remember if during the first or the second film..) So Mark wanted her too but it was experience which got its prize…

    • November 6, 2014 at 12:03 am
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      Actually, Carrie was in a relationship with Paul Simon during the entire original trilogy (’77-’83). She said in an interview that for years after the trilogy became internationally popular, everyone assumed she and Harrison were dating, but Harrison was too old for her at the time, being 14 years older.

      • November 6, 2014 at 12:33 am
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        Daisy and Oscar, sitting in a tree…. 😉

  • November 6, 2014 at 2:16 am
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    She was dating Paul Simon…but age be dam*ed she said in a more recent interview while in London Harrison wouldnt have had to try very hard when asked if she had a off set relationship with Harrison or Mark.

    • November 6, 2014 at 2:36 am
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      Put yourself in Mark’s shoes. The girl you’re crazy for has the hots for Han Solo AND Lucas makes her your sister?! MANNNNN…. <8^O

      Now, I'm not sayin' he should Force choke the bitch in Episode VII….

      ….but I understand! >;D

  • November 6, 2014 at 4:24 am
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    Why was Mark Hamill sleeping on his couch?

    • November 6, 2014 at 4:36 am
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      I don’t know but with each article I read about Mark Hammil he just seems to get more badass by the minute… He’s my kinda guy. Lol’d at the 6 pack of beer.

    • November 6, 2014 at 4:41 am
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      Why does any poor unknown actor sleep on a friends couch? He was a broke, homeless, starving actor who happened to be friends with a less broke, less homeless, and less starving actor.

      • November 6, 2014 at 5:35 pm
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        Which might help explain why he nailed the audition.. he was literally hungry for the role!!

  • November 8, 2014 at 12:15 am
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    It wasn’t finalized that Luke and Leia were siblings until well in filming ‘Empire’, so lose the ‘ewwwww’.

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