The Force Will Be With Him…Always.
My first celebrity crush was Mark Hamill. I saw “Star Wars” in the theatre when I was 10. I was smitten by the movie and the actor. When he returned in the second film, “The Empire Strikes Back,” I was taken aback. He had a car accident that changed his face a bit. Still him, but different. Older. I was also well into puberty when it came out in 1980. I switched allegiance to Harrison Ford’s Han Solo. His character was just more interesting — more mature to high school me. That scruffy looking nerfherder. Rowr. Besides, it was way cooler to crush on him in my teen years. Even nerd crushes have a hierarchy when you are in high school. So I placed my love for Mark Skywalker in a little room off of the main corridor and quietly visited it when I could.
Mark Hamill didn’t make it as a mainstream star like Harrison Ford did in the 80’s. It was easy for me to follow the prolific career of Ford, so he was my touchstone crush through most of the ’80s. These days, Harrison Ford appears every now and then in a movie, but for the most part he can live off of his prolific earnings. I sure hope he stops crashing planes, though. That’s gotta be rough on a 78 year old body.
I joined Instagram to start a ceramics business, but nowadays I just log on to browse. I found Mark Hamill’s account. His is my favorite account on there, and he has once again become my celebrity crush. He is witty, dry, and engaging. He’s not afraid to share his opinions, political or otherwise. He seems kind, and doesn’t take himself too seriously. I’m tickled that my first celebrity crush is also my last celebrity crush.
Hamill has 351 credits on IMDB. He’s never hurt for work. I never realized what a rich career he has had in voice acting, because I haven’t ever really watched cartoons. I’m glad he’s been so successful. He’s just a fun presence on any social media platform, and the appearance in the recent Star Wars movies were icing on my preteen fandom cake.
So, I have a celebrity crush again. I go to Mark Skywalker’s little room off of the main corridor and fling the door open wide. Come out into the light, Mark Hamill. Don’t forget your lightsaber.
