Mark Hamill Clowns Around for Jack in the Box Drive-Thru Stunt

A long time ago, before finding galactic fame as Luke Skywalker, teenage Mark Hamill worked at Jack in the Box. Alas, he got canned for impersonating a clown over the drive-thru mic.

Now, the Jedi returns to the fast feeder in a fun campaign from TBWAChiatDay Los Angeles promoting Jack’s Spicy Chicken Strips and French Toast Sticks. The stunt below stars professional actors who knew they were filming a commercial, but had no idea Mark would be filling their orders.

The Force is strong in this one! It’s a compelling ride, especially when the folks behind the wheel tell Mark how much they love his movies. A young woman exclaims, “I have grown up with you!” and we feel the pure joy of fandom. Mark’s “let’s do a selfie!” response seems heartfelt, too.

“We were looking for a way to make a limited-time offer campaign special and breakthrough when the team came across a clip of Mark on The Late Late Show telling the story of how he was once fired from a Jack in the Box for impersonating a clown in the drive-thru,” TBWACD creative director Jeff O’Keefe tells Muse. “The idea of bringing Mark back along with a couple of other fan favorites was born.”

Mark co-stars with brand mascot Jack Box in two additional ads:

“The commercials involved a lot of improv and trying out different lines and bits to see what worked,” Hamill says. “That’s catnip for a performer. This was a really collaborative bunch and we just had a lot of fun.”

Ham’s used to hanging with dudes in weird headgear. At least Jack’s not his father. We think.

The pair also show up in a comic book, which drops across social this week, with a print addition planned:

Below, the TBWACD creative team takes us behind the scenes:

MUSE: Was it an easy sell to get Mark aboard? Did he jump at it, or need convincing?

Bert Marissen, creative director: Mark was quite excited about it from the start. You can imagine that he’s been hit up countless times by brands looking to leverage a famous sci-fi franchise. This, instead, was an authentic way for him to do a campaign that drew from his life. To hear him explain it, he has only fond memories of his time at Jack in the Box, even though he got canned.

Where was the shoot? Can you walk us through the process?

Jeff O’Keefe: The drive-thru stunt was filmed at an L.A.-area Jack in the Box one day in early July. We put Mark in the window for a couple of hours and had him get up to some of the mischief that got him in trouble his first time out—greeting people in a crazy clown voice. Mark, of course, is just as beloved by fans for his voice acting work, so he had a great time.

How much did the actors know beforehand?

Marissen: During the audition process, they were asked about TV and movie franchises they loved, which allowed us to highlight some potential fans of Mark’s work. They had no idea they were going to meet Mark—all they knew was that they had to pull up to the menu and order a few items. This allowed us to get reactions that didn’t have to be faked. The trick with stunts like this is to not get people to act. You want it to be genuine. So, you have to give them just the right amount of information.

Things got a tad emotional at times.

O’Keefe: We captured that wonderful moment of people realizing who Mark was, and then let them find their own conversational groove. It was cool seeing Mark genuinely connect with fans—he just lit up.

Did scripting or coaching come into play?

O’Keefe: We occasionally tossed out topics for them to try out—Mark explaining his history with Jack in the Box, Mark indulging in old-movie set stories, etc. A lot of the people wanted to call their moms, which was funny, something that didn’t make it into our film. Mark ad-libbed everything but his final exchange with the manager.

CREDITS

Client:  Jack in the Box 
Chief Marketing Officer: Ryan Ostrom
Senior Director Marketing Communications: Sheena Dougher
Integrated Marketing Communications Manager: Renee Mansfield
Senior Manager, Social Media & PR: Morgan Higgins
PR Specialist: Casey Middleton 
Social Media Coordinator: Makenzie Abuyen-Nuestro
Senior Media & Comms Manager: Daniel MacDonald
Media & Comms Manager: Jason Climaco

Agency: TBWAChiatDay
CEO: Erin Riley
Chief Strategy Officer: Jen Costello 
Chief Creative Officer: Renato Fernandez
Chief Design Officer: Bruno Regalo
Chief Financial Officer: Wayne Hempe
Group Creative Director: Jason Karley
Group Creative Director: Justin Wright
Group Creative Director: Galen Graham
Creative Director: Bert Marissen
Creative Director: Jeff O’Keefe
Senior Designer: Gabriel Menezes
Associate Creative Digital Design Director: Thiago Matsunaga
Associate Creative Director (Art): Eric Stiles
Associate Creative Director (Copy): Chad Goodnoe
Executive Producer: Chris Spencer
PM & Craft Producer: Alessandra Horn
Producer: Aubrey Larson
Executive Producer (Comic Book): Dena Moore
Digital Producer (Comic Book): Nat Wilkes
Business Lead: Alison Kaplan
Account Director: Jhordan Ford
Management Supervisor: Christina Gocoglu 
Account Executive: Marcela Carbajal
Operations Director: Leigh Daniels
Project Manager: Shubha Chakravarty
Group Strategy Director: Jeremy Davis
Strategy Director: Corey Kindberg 
Strategist: Hannah Schweitzer
Group Connections Director: Stephanie Ehui
Director of Connections: Patrick Rust
Director of Business Affairs: Robin Rossi
Senior Business Affairs Manager: Allison Fasano 
Talent Manager: Adele Orsen
Director of Traffic Operations: Dessiah Davis
Traffic Manager: Anna Brito
Client Finance Budget Manager: Ashleigh Millette
Budget Manager: Jaquiel Warner 
Budget Manager: Marcus Tom

Production Company (Live Action): Station Film
Director: Brendan Gibbons
Director of Photography: Doug Chamberlain
Founding Partner:  Caroline Gibney
Founding Partner:  Stephen Orent
Line Producer: Aaron Rosenbloom

Production Company (Food): Camp Lucky
Director / DP: Tom Ryan
CEO / Partner: Tammie Kleinmann
Executive Producer: Brandon Tapp
Producer: Chelsea Sevadjian
Producer: Evan Murphy

Editorial: Whitehouse Post
Editor: Brian Gannon
Assistant Editor:  Melanie Newton
Producer: Lucia Villalta
Executive Producer:  Joanna Manning

VFX: The Mill
VFX Supervisor / Lead Compositor: Thomas Downs
Animator: Anastasia Skrebneva
Compositors: Patrick Dirk, Adam Lambert
Executive Producer: Melody Alexander
Senior Producer: Mark Cramer
Associate Producer: Spencer Ruehl
Production Coordinator: Charlotte Preuss

Color: The Mill
Colorist: Kris Smale
Color Assist: Joni Brandenburg
Color Assist: Jason Pyne
Executive Producer:
Color Producer: Nubia Lima
Production Coordinator: Alexandria Adams

Sound Design + Mix: LIME
Audio Mixers: Christian Lazlow, Matt Miller
Audio Assistant: Ian Connie
Associate Producer: Cassie Underwood
Executive Producer: Susie Boyajan

Music (TVC + OLV): Score-a-Score
Track: Mathematician
Artist/Composer: Max Farrar
Courtesy of Score a Score

Music (Hamill Drive Thru + Tik Tok): Asche&Spencer
Track: Quirky 262
Composer: Nicholas Phillips, ASCAP
Publisher: DUFOR Music, ASCAP

Track: Retro Classics 229
Composer: Nicholas Phillips, ASCAP
Publisher: DUFOR Music, ASCAP

Courtesy of Ashe & Spencer

Comic Book Illustration
Illustrator: Luke Duo Art (Luke Duo Art)
Illustrator: Jamie Coe (Illustration X)
Rep: Lauren Asheigh (Illustration X)

Comic Book Lettering
Letterer: Joshua Reed