Actor Bill Hader announced that he will no longer sign merchandise following a negative encounter with a fan at a “Star Wars” event.
Bill Hader, a guest on the “Happy, Sad, Confused” podcast, mentioned that he no longer signs merchandise for fans. He had a negative encounter with a “Star Wars” fan who wanted him to sign a BB-8 toy to sell online, using their child as an excuse. Hader and Ben Schwartz worked as voice consultants for BB-8 in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” resulting in numerous autograph requests from fans.
Hader declined to sign autographs for fans, citing that he believes autograph seekers do not have positive feelings towards him and he chooses not to participate in signing items.
Hader recounted an incident where he was approached by a fan at 3 a.m. after attending the premiere of “Inside Out” and asked to sign a BB-8 item. The fan kept their child up all night and requested Hader’s signature in order to sell the item online.
Hader declined to sign the documents after expressing his disapproval, stating it was not acceptable.
Abrams acknowledged Hader’s role in creating BB-8, while Hader disclosed that most of his voice work attempts for the film were not successful.
Bill Hader was named in a project by J.J. Abrams, but his voice work didn’t work out. Abrams later asked Hader to do a “talk box thing,” which he did. However, Hader hasn’t been asked to return because it’s an easy job. Hader is not aware of what Ben Schwartz did, but that was his experience.
The complete interview of Hader on the “Happy, Sad, Confused” podcast can be viewed by watching the provided video below.