Mark Hamill and Freddy Krueger Actor Have Major Beef

For years, there has been a story circulating online about Freddy Krueger actor Robert Englund’s involvement in Mark Hamill’s initial Star Wars audition.

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Englund’s version of the story goes that Hamill was a struggling actor sleeping on his couch and he encouraged the young man to try out for a role in George Lucas’s new space opera franchise.

Lucas had already made something of a name for himself in Hollywood with American Graffiti (1973), so it is not shocking that actors wanted in on his latest venture, even before they knew what the Star Wars franchise would become.

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In 2018, Hamill discredited Englund’s story on social media. The actor, who is active on all of his social media accounts, wrote:

Robert was 1 of several actors who told me about #StarWars-When I told my agent-She’d already set up an audition & still gets annoyed he takes the credit. Sleeping on his couch is nonsense! I’d been a working actor for over 6 years & had my own Apt. #SettingTheRecordStraight

Robert was 1 of several actors who told me about #StarWars-When I told my agent-She'd already set up an audition & still gets annoyed he takes the credit. Sleeping on his couch is nonsense! I'd been a working actor for over 6 years & had my own Apt. #SettingTheRecordStraight https://t.co/XktCLDEQ9V

— Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) October 20, 2018

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However, in a recent appearance on the Inside of You With Micahel Rosenbaum podcast, Englund has once again perpetuated the seemingly false narrative about how exactly Hamill was cast as Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars original trilogy — Episode IV – A New Hope (1977), Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983).

During the interview:

…Englund recounted how he’d failed to land a role in Apocalypse Now, but was taken to another production office afterwards. “Somebody then walked me across from the Apocalypse Now audition, and were like, ‘You might be right for someone here’,” he said. “[T]hey brought me over to the Star Wars audition. I don’t even think it was called Star Wars then. They took my polaroid – like a mugshot, profile and full face – and I think it was for the Han Solo role.”

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Hamill, for his part, has not yet responded to the story he already nixed being shared again three years later.

Will Mark Hamill return to the Star Wars universe?

Last year, Mark Hamill shocked the Star Wars fan community by returning to the Star Wars franchise as Luke Skywalker during an epic scene in The Mandalorian Season 2 finale episode.

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The cameo appearance featured a CGI de-aged version of Hamill during the Return of the Jedi era. Thanks to Skywalker’s appearance, bounty hunter Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) was able to complete his mission to deliver Grogu (AKA “Baby Yoda”) to the Jedi Order, effectively reintroducing the lightsaber-wielding Jedi Master into the Star Wars story moving forward.

At this time, it seems unlikely that Mandalorian showrunner Jon Favreau and executive producer Dave Filoni will continue using a CGI version of Hamill if (and when) Skywalker returns.

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Instead, it seems plausible that Marvel star Sebastian Stan will take on the role of young Luke. His uncanny resemblance to Hamilly’s younger self has been noted for years and both actors have weighed in on rumors that Stan will play the Jedi in the unconfirmed Luke Skywalker series that could introduce Luke’s Star Wars Legends wife, Mara Jade Skywalker, into the existing Star Wars canon.

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Again, at this time, neither Lucasfilm nor Disney have announced anything about Hamill’s return to the Star Wars galaxy or a Luke Skywalker show.

What do you think about Robert Englund continuing to perpetuate a rumor that Mark Hamill nixed years ago?