Mark Hamill Was A Massive What We Do In The Shadows Fan Before His Cameo
Mark Hamill may be known primarily for playing Luke Skywalker, but he's had a vast, sprawling, eclectic career on both the big and small screen. One of his more recent roles was Jim the Vampire on "What We Do in the Shadows." Hamill-as-Jim appeared in one of the best episodes of the show — "On the Run," the episode that introduces Lazlo's alter ego, Jackie Daytona. Jim is a vampire with a grudge against Lazlo, causing Lazlo to go into hiding as a "regular human bartender."
Hamill really gets to sink his teeth into the part (see what I did?), using a goofy accent and leaning into the silliness of it all. And that's fine — he's a character named Jim the Vampire, that's pretty damn silly.
And how did Hamill end up on the show? Fandom is the answer! Sometimes, being a fan of something can land you a job. Especially if you're a well-known figure like Mark Hamill.
'I was unprepared for how great it was'
When asked by Vulture how he ended up on the show as Jim the Vampire, Hamill explained it started with the "What We Do in the Shadows" movie. "I became a huge fan of the movie. My son suggested we watch it, I said, 'What is that?' and he said, 'It's a reality show about vampires.' Which, that alone had me hooked," Hamill said. However, he had some reservations about the show.
"I knew that Taika [Waititi] and Jemaine [Clement] were behind the scenes for the series, but I sort of lowered expectations because I said, 'Well, they're not in it, it's not probably as good,' so I was unprepared for how great it was," Hamill continued.
I am right there with Hamill. I loved the "What We Do in the Shadows" movie, but I assumed the TV adaptation would be a step-down. When I finally started watching it, though, I came to love it more than the movie. So learn a lesson from me and also Mark Hamill: give things a chance, especially TV shows about vampires.
When Hamill got hooked on the TV series, he wanted to make sure the show stuck around. "I always get nervous about shows I like, because I find something I really love and it gets canceled," he explained. "So I tweeted about it several times, trying to get my followers to give it a try. Apparently that's what put me on their radar, and the next thing I know they asked me to come on the show. I thought I'd be playing a meter reader, or a next door neighbor, or someone at the Department of Motor Vehicles."
Thankfully, they wanted Hamill for a more substantial role than a meter reader. As of now, Jim the Vampire has not returned to the show, but I have a feeling Hamill would happily put the fangs back in one more time if he was asked.