20 Things You Didn’t Know About Midnight Express
5. Mark Hamill Wanted To Play Billy Hayes
After the staggering success of Star Wars in 1977 and the prospective sequels in the years following, Mark Hamill feared for his acting career. While Star Wars was a monumental mega-hit and, financially, Mark Hamill wouldn’t have to worry for quite some time, the actor who played Luke Skywalker was concerned about his prospects.
Troubled by the prospect of being typecast in sci-fi action roles, Hamill began searching for parts in films that would break Hollywood’s expectations. In 1977, one role which stood out to Hamill was that of Billy Hayes. Determined to build his acting repertoire, Hamill believed playing the escaped convict would be a welcome challenge.
However, upon applying to audition for the role, the Star Wars celebrity was declined straight away. The actor voiced his frustrations, saying ‘if you haven’t been given the chance to fail, you feel like you haven’t be given a fair shot.’
The actor was eventually able to stretch his acting chops in stage productions of The Elephant Man and Amadeus. However, a Midnight Express where we see Mark Hamill biting out the tongue of a prison informant is almost impossible to imagine.