10 Mind-Blowing Facts You Never Knew About Freddy Krueger
3. His Actor Got Mark Hamill The Role Of A Lifetime
Despite his deeply creepy screen presence, the three hours which actor Robert Englund spent in makeup being transformed into Freddy was apparently necessary to turn the usually amicable, soft-spoken, and classically trained actor into a ferocious villain. As if the testimonies of directors and fellow cast members weren’t sufficient evidence of the actor’s good nature, just consider an anecdote about his former roommate during less famous years—one Mark Hammill.
Apparently Englund auditioned for a role in George Lucas’ sci-fi flick Star Wars in 1976, coming home to the apartment he shared with fellow thespian Mark Hammill to tell him he should try out for the film’s lead role of Luke Skywalker. It may have been eight more years of bit parts in everything from alien invasion miniseries V to 1980’s underrated Galaxy of Terror before Englund’s good deed was rewarded with a famous role of his own, but we think it’s fair to say that the role of Freddy was well worth the wait.