Steve Martin, Justin Timberlake, Betty White, Tina Fey, Carrie Fisher, Eddie Murphy. What do these and dozens more have in common? They’ve hosted Saturday Night Live. But, for all his fame and success, spanning decades and generations, Mark Hamill has never hosted SNL. Why? He has a theory.
Hamill rose to prominence and achieved worldwide fame through his iconic portrayal of Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars franchise. But it doesn’t end there. His work voice acting as the Joker in Batman: The Animated Series, along with Fire Lord Ozai in Avatar: The Last Airbender is still celebrated to this day. His filmography has something that appeals to everyone. But rivalry might have exempted him from this illustrious gig.
Mark Hamill may not have been invited to ‘SNL’ because of another gig he accepted
Since its premiere in 1975, Saturday Night Live has been a career springboard for countless rising stars. It’s not unheard of, for pop culture icons from franchises like Star Wars to host this collection of comedy. But another program approached Hamill first, and protocol surrounding both that and SNL decided his fate.
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In an interview with Esquire, Hamill distinguished SNL as “not one of those things where your agent calls and says, ‘Hey, book my client.’ They pretty much pick who they want and you go from there.” So, he had to wait for the invitation, not reach out for the chance. But, he explained, “I was asked to host Fridays, which was ABC’s answer to SNL.”
He emphasizes that what he’s suggesting is pure theory, before continuing, “I have a feeling that that might have been a factor in not being thought favorably of by Lorne Michaels.”
Protocol helps and hurts
Hamill had nothing but high praise for Fisher when she hosted SNL back in November 1978. “Carrie [Fisher] did it back in the day with the original cast. I was over the moon because it was my favorite show,” he praised, “Carrie was great on it, and it made me really want to do it.”
It’s understandable why this would be a lot of other people’s favorite episode, too. The Blues Brothers served as the musical guest then, and Fisher performed a sketch as Princess Leia, accompanied by Obi-Wan Kenobi, whose brand of help was a bit off the mark. It then leads to Fisher, still as the princess, at a beach party, fending off Bill Murray’s character and performing a musical number.
Who is your dream SNL host who hasn’t had the chance yet?
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