The Force may be strong, but it’s not as strong as Bill Hader’s disdain for signing Star Wars merch. So keep your posters, Funkos and pewter bookends at home where they belong!
Speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, he said, “I do not sign them…Autograph people don’t like me. I won’t sign things.” Bill Hader specifically cited the Star Wars connection. What Star Wars connection, you might ask? In case you didn’t know, Hader is credited (alongside Ben Schwartz) as a vocal consultant for BB-8, the droid that made its first appearance in 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Bill Hader went on to recall the specific moment that he decided he’ll never sign any Star Wars merchandise ever again. “You know what it was? I used to sign stuff, and then one time I saw somebody and they had their kid come up to me to sign a BB-8 thing and it was three in the morning…I was leaving the Inside Out premiere and then we went to an after-party thing and it was super late and this guy kept his kid up all night. [He] was like, ‘Go over there so he’ll sign it so I can sell it online.’” He concluded, “I was like, ‘That’s fucked up’…So now, I just kind of blanket, like, I’m not signing any of this shit.”
This isn’t exactly Jodie Foster refusing to give her John Hinckley on Taxi Driver merch, but hearing that Bill Hader won’t autograph any Star Wars materials is still a bit of a shock–almost as much so as hearing people even want one considering how small of a role he played. But Hader is in some famous company, joining the likes of William Shatner, Bryan Cranston and Ringo Starr as stars who don’t give autographs…although some will at least include warnings with peace and love.
Bill Hader is a massive Star Wars fan, even serving as a production assistant on the 2004 documentary Empire of Dreams the year before he stepped into Studio 8H. He can currently be seen in Barry, which will conclude its run in May.
Do you agree or disagree with Bill Hader’s reason for not signing Star Wars merch? Let us know in the comments section below!
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