If there is one Star Wars celebrity who won’t sign your merch, that will be Bill Hader. The comedian confessed that he won’t be signing any merch, even if it means disappointing fans. However, he has a valid reason for why he won’t be doing so.
Hader appeared on Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused Podcast, where he talked about his experience working on Star Wars: The Force Awakens as a voice consultant for BB-8. The comedian appreciated that his name was credited in the film, which led to people wanting him to sign merch.
“I came in and did like voice stuff for it that didn’t work,” Hader added. “Then, he brought me in later and said, ‘Hey, do you want to do this.’ It was like a … talk box thing and then I did that. And the reason he hasn’t had me come back is because anybody can do that. … It’s like a machine that you can operate.”
Unfortunately, Hader opened up about the moment that led to him no longer wanting to sign people’s merch. The actor was leaving a movie premiere when he was approached by a guy and his kid, who may have been waiting all night to meet him. Hader overheard the intentions of this autograph signing, which was so he could sell the merch later online for a higher value. It was due to that guy’s greed that Hader is no longer interested in signing merch.
“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.’
“I was like, ‘That’s fucked up.’ And so now, I just kind of blanket, like, I’m not signing any of this shit.”
It’s no secret that signed merchandise from the official cast and crew is highly sought after. Star Wars legend Mark Hamill was aware of this and used it to his advantage to help raise funds for Ukraine. While there are genuine fans out there who would want to have their stuff signed due to their love for the franchise, it’s quite unfortunate to have celebrities hear that they’re being used for monetary gain. Hopefully, Hader would reconsider his decision and would sign more BB-8 and Star Wars merch, but based on his interview, it doesn’t seem likely.
