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“The Big Bang Theory” has welcomed numerous astounding guest stars throughout its 12-season stint, including numerous actors from the “Star Trek” franchise. However, one of the most memorable cameos was undoubtedly Mark Hamill, best known for his role as Luke Skywalker in “Star Wars”. He graced the show in the season 11 episode, “The Bow Tie Asymmetry.” However, according to a revealing book about the show, Hamill had a significant regret about his participation.
Portraying himself, Hamill ends up bumping into Howard Wolowitz (played by Simon Helberg) when Howard discovers Hamill’s lost dog, aptly named “Bark Hamill.” Hamill, in return, offers a favor to Howard. Howard, filled with excitement, uses this favor to have Hamill officiate his friends Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) and Amy Farrah Fowler’s (Mayim Bialik) wedding. However, as Hamill revealed to Jessica Radloff in her book, “The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series,” he had limited knowledge about the series initially.
“The series didn’t quite resonate with me in the beginning,” Hamill confessed. He added that he started following the series again during the filming of “The Last Jedi” in England. “I had to exercise on the treadmill, and I noticed that one of the TV stations would broadcast ‘Big Bang’ marathons on weekends.” By then, he had missed many episodes, so he would watch them while exercising. “At first, I would watch an episode while running. Then, it became two, then three episodes per run.” Eventually, Hamill admitted that he had watched about 30-40 episodes before his cameo but wished he had watched more. “It took me several months, but I’ve now watched every episode,” he confessed.
Mark Hamill’s Initial Unfamiliarity with The Big Bang Theory Eventually Turned into Admiration
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Mark Hamill acknowledged that he was initially not up to speed with “The Big Bang Theory,” but he made up for it — as a “Star Wars” veteran and a fan of pop culture, he grew to genuinely appreciate the show.
“I was aware that they referenced all kinds of pop culture and the characters were fond of comic books, sci-fi, fantasy […], but I was oblivious to how deep it ran and how they could be so satirical in their humor,” Hamill told Jessica Radloff. He praised the show’s sharp humor towards topics like the “Star Wars” prequels. “For example, when they planned to watch all the movies and said, ‘We’re starting with “Phantom Menace” at noon, I’m just wondering if we’ve allocated enough time for complaints.’ I found that very witty!”
Hamill expressed that he wished he had known more about the show before his cameo. Had he known, he could have discussed the numerous episodes that referenced “Star Wars” or its creator, George Lucas, with the cast and crew. “Once I had this knowledge, it would have significantly altered my experience on the show. We could’ve talked about their visit to [Lucas’ home] Skywalker Ranch, or [the season 9 episode “The Opening Night Excitation”] that begins with the opening crawl from [“Star Wars”],” Hamill reflected. He added, “I thought I was well-prepared when I filmed my episode, but I ended up watching all the episodes. I didn’t truly appreciate it until I was on the show. I became completely absorbed in it.”
Mark Hamill’s Experience on The Big Bang Theory Featured One of the Show’s Weddings
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Mark Hamill’s interaction with Howard and Bark Hamill is just the beginning of his stint on “The Big Bang Theory,” as he ended up officiating Sheldon and Amy’s much-anticipated wedding. This part of the episode was quite entertaining. Everyone present at the ceremony was awestruck by the presence of Luke Skywalker and kept asking him detailed “Star Wars” questions, most of which he couldn’t answer. (Thankfully, Stuart Bloom — played by Kevin Sussman, who almost landed the role of Howard — knew the answers to almost all of them.) Then, during the actual vows, Hamill was so moved by Amy and Sheldon’s heartfelt speeches that he broke down in tears…a moment humorously undermined when Sheldon later asked Hamill to sign a plethora of items after the ceremony.
Hamill, for his part, was thrilled — and his emotions were genuine. “That was a defining moment in pop culture,” Hamill recalled. “I didn’t foresee the emotional impact of the moment on me, so when it hit me, I was moved to tears. The entire episode was flawlessly executed. I love when Sheldon says, ‘I have four thousand things for you to sign.’ Jim Parsons is brilliant, but the entire cast is simply outstanding.”
“Having him there was really nice,” Parsons concurred, stating that despite the cast having only just met Hamill, it worked splendidly. “For such a significant scene, it was surprisingly intimate. And you have this person involved in a major moment who you’re not very familiar with and who’s never been on the show before […] I quite liked his presence with us. It was wonderfully strange!”
FAQs
Q: Which episode of “The Big Bang Theory” did Mark Hamill appear in?
A: Mark Hamill appeared in the season 11 episode titled “The Bow Tie Asymmetry.”
Q: Did Mark Hamill play himself in “The Big Bang Theory”?
A: Yes, Mark Hamill played himself in the episode.
Q: What role did Mark Hamill play at Sheldon and Amy’s wedding in “The Big Bang Theory”?
A: Mark Hamill officiated Sheldon and Amy’s wedding in the episode.
Q: What was Mark Hamill’s regret about his appearance on “The Big Bang Theory”?
A: Mark Hamill wished he had known more about the show before his cameo as it would have significantly altered his experience on the show.
Credit: www.slashfilm.com
