As someone who doesn’t live in a state that has a Jack in the Box, I can’t weigh in on the quality of their food or whether or not their mascot is charismatic enough to warrant a steamy, romantic thriller. I can, however, weigh in on Mark Hamill working the drive-thru, surprising unsuspecting customers, and NOT getting fired for doing impressions on the clock this time around.
The campaign
Mark Hamill is joining the Jack in the Box team decades after he was fired for his impersonations at the drive-thru. While Mark’s future successes may have clouded the shame he felt in being let go from his favorite gig, he never forgot the hurt Jack bestowed on him.
I dunno I think Mark Hamill did okay for himself in the end, but hey, that’s just my opinion.
The Jack in the Box campaign (appropriately called “The Return of Mark Hamill”) features the iconic actor working with his old boss, Jack, once again. For a limited time, Jack (and Mark) are bringing back two fan-favorite menu items: Spicy Chicken Strips and French Toast Sticks. Again, I can’t weigh in on whether or not these ARE favorites since Jack doesn’t exist where I live, but hey, would Mark Hamill lie to me? I’d like to think he wouldn’t.
Along with the food, the fast food chain is also releasing a comic book in mid-August that actually illustrates Hamill’s time as an employee. “The never-before-told, mostly true story of Mark Hamill’s early days working the Jack in the Box drive-thru and his bittersweet departure,” reads the description. “It’s a story of fate, friendship, and redemption, decades in the making. Oh, and it’s totally free.” The comic will be available at the Jack in the Box Swag Shop soon.
Yes, he really did get fired
Once upon a time, Luke Skywalker made the mistake of bringing his Joker voice to work and it cost him his job. He told the story back in 2019 on the Late, Late Show. According to Deadline, he was fired from a Jack in the Box in Hollywood.
“I was always trying to find the theatrical aspects of it. I actually worked right down the street here at Jack in the Box (Corden films at CBS Television City, making it likely the restaurant in question was on North Highland Avenue) and I was in the back all the time, making shakes and minding the grill,’ Hamill said. “I always aspired to work the window, the drive-thru. And the one chance I had at it, it never occurred to me not to be in character as the Jack in the Box clown.”
Now if I were the manager in this situation I’d think this was hilarious, maybe even a little bit endearing – though be forced to tell him not to do it again because corporate big wigs don’t believe in having fun. Unfortunately, Hamill’s manager wasn’t me. “He told me to go home and never come back. Yeah, I got fired. Fired for being in character.” Well, at least he’d go on to fine-tune that clown voice into something more epic.
Truly, a comeback story for the ages. Hamill got to have his French Toast Sticks and eat them, too.
(Featured image: Jack in the Box)
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