Screenwriter Ed Soloman shared a heartwarming story on Tuesday about the time “Star Wars” star Mark Hamill made a sick child’s wish come true.
“When a friend’s son (who was, so tragically, dying from an incurable illness) made a wish: to meet Luke Skywalker, it fell on me — the only person the dad knew who worked in the film business — to make a call,” Solomon wrote in a series of tweets. “Not knowing Mark, I called his agent and explained that this lovely boy watched Star Wars every day and wanted to meet NOT Mark Hammill, but, rather, the actual CHARACTER that he played.”
The writer, whose credits include “Men in Black,” “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure” and the HBO series “Mosaic,” explained that the boy’s illness had progressed to the stage where he could no longer separate fiction from reality. He also said in a later tweet that the boy was almost entirely blind.
“The agent begrudgingly said he’d call Mark, but also said not to get my hopes up. 90 seconds later I got a call from [Hamill], who immediately said yes and gave me his home address,” Solomon wrote. “He not only met with the boy, but spent hours answering question after question (sometimes the same ones repeatedly), AS ‘Luke.’ ”
The story was met with kind words from Twitter users who saying the story was a welcome change of pace from the recent flood of bad news, particularly about the behavior of men in Hollywood.
“Even posting this now makes me teary,” he wrote. “He was compassionate, kind, and patient. And it literally meant the world to this kid and his family.”
Hamill is set to reprise his role as Luke Skywalker on the big screen when “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” hits theaters next week.
WHY I WILL LOVE @HamillHimself FOREVER (THREAD OF 4):
When a friend's son (who was, so tragically, dying from an incurable illness) made a wish: to meet Luke Skywalker, it fell on me — the only person the dad knew who worked in the film business — to make a call. 1/4
— Ed Solomon (@ed_solomon) December 4, 2017
Not knowing Mark, I called his agent and explained that this lovely boy watched Star Wars every day and wanted to meet NOT Mark Hammill, but, rather, the actual CHARACTER that he played (the boy’s own mental state had devolved past the point of being able to grok that… 2/4
— Ed Solomon (@ed_solomon) December 4, 2017
..Luke was fictional). The agent begrudgingly said he’d call Mark, but also said not to get my hopes up. 90 seconds later I got a call from @HamillHimself, who immediately said yes and gave me his home address. 3/4
— Ed Solomon (@ed_solomon) December 4, 2017
He not only met with the boy, but spent hours answering question after question (sometimes the same ones repeatedly), AS “Luke.” Even posting this now makes me teary. He was compassionate, kind, and patient. And it literally meant the world to this kid and his family. 4/4
— Ed Solomon (@ed_solomon) December 4, 2017