Mark Hamill is known for a couple of things in the Star Wars universe beyond simply playing the role of Luke Skywalker. He has a heart of gold, and, also, the guy likes to have a little bit of fun when signing an autograph – and he’ll help point out the fakes that are out on the market today — the latter of which recently generated enough buzz that one California assemblywoman took notice and reached out to Hamill to figure out how to help fight the good fight.
Ling Ling Chang just introduced Bill AB 1570, with the support of Skywalker himself, that is looking to help navigate the memorabilia waters a bit easier. California already requires that a certificate of authenticity accompany any sports memorabilia, but has, up until this day, neglected to cover other kinds of memorabilia. Once Chang heard of Hamill’s actions online, she knew she had to reach out:
“I got on the phone with him and it was very touching to see how passionate he was. What he said to me is that his fans are like family and that he did not want to see kids being victimized as he’s seen in the past. It’s such an honor to have him on board with us.”
This is big news, and Hamill is on the front lines to make sure fans are getting their money’s worth; in a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times, Hamill said, “The public is being swindled on a daily basis and the numbers are huge. I just can’t keep quiet when I see people I love being hurt.”
Maybe now that Hamill has the support of Chang, the fans should soon have a much easier time finding authentic goods online and in stores.
(Via Entertainment Weekly)
