Just because you’ve made it big in the film industry doesn’t mean that you instantly know everything. No matter who you are, or where you land on the Hollywood food chain, there are always going to be lessons to be learned. Star Wars icon Mark Hamill figured this out the hard way when he apparently tried to give an up-and-coming Arnold Schwarzenegger some career advice at an early point of the bodybuilder’s arc. Thankfully, for the eventual star of Predator, Total Recall, The Terminator and a few more of the greatest sci-fi movies ever made, Ah-nold ignored Hamill’s suggestions, and it all worked out for the best.
Both men continue to prove their Hollywood longevity by appearing in projects that recently dropped. Arnold Schwarzenegger has returned to the action genre for FUBAR, available with a Netflix subscription. Mark Hamill, in the meantime, appears opposite comedian Bert Kresicher in the new comedy The Machine. While doing press for that film, Hamill relayed the story that he has told the most at parties, because he knows it will captivate his audience… mainly for how dumb it makes the Star Wars star look and sound. Apparently, back in their heyday, Hamill encountered the Pumping Iron standout early in the man’s career. And it went down like this:
In a nutshell, I told him… it was before he was famous. He wanted to meet me and get career advice. And I said to him, ‘Do you want me to be completely honest? You really should work on that accent! Because you can always play German or Austrian roles. But if you are able to do an American accent, for instance, it would just exponentially open up your career opportunities! And the other thing is that last name. It’s unpronounceable. It’s so long. Unless you have a career goal of doing movies with no one but Cher, you’re never going to be able to fit it on the marquee.’ So that was my career advice. Change your name, and lose the accent. Within a year of that advice, he was one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. So I thought of myself as George Costanza. I should do a book where I give advice, and you just do the opposite of what I say.
That’s a terrific story. And part of me now wants to know if Arnold Schwarzenegger seriously considered either recommendations. At this point, it’s impossible not to think of the FUBAR star and not hear the accent. Heck, Chris Hemsworth did it in front of Arnold in this funny Netflix clip. The accent is integral to the success of famous lines like, “It’s not a tumor!” And while the actor’s surname is lengthy, it’s not synonymous with Hollywood action, so Hamill was 0-for-2 on those recommendations.
Still, Mark Hamill made more than a few smart decisions in Hollywood. You will see him thrive if you choose to watch the Star Wars movies in order. And while his time in that universe has come to an end, his legacy will hang over any and all upcoming Star Wars projects, particularly if Lucasfilm is able to get that announced Rey film off the ground with Daisy Ridley back in the lead role. We shall see.
