Mark Hamill says the force is with President Biden — the actor made a surprise visit Friday to the White House briefing room and offered a “Star Wars”-inspired nickname for the commander in chief.
“How many of you had ‘Mark Hamill will lead the press briefing’ on your bingo cards?” Hamill, sporting a pair of sunglasses, told reporters at the top of the White House’s press briefing.
“I just got to meet the president, and he gave me these aviator glasses,” added Hamill, known for his role as Luke Skywalker.
Asked about his Oval Office visit with Biden, Hamill said, “I called him ‘Mr. President.’ He said, ‘You can call me Joe.'”
Then Hamill quipped, “I said, ‘Can I call you Joe-B-Wan Kenobi?” offering a Biden-inspired play on the name of the famed Jedi master character in the intergalactic franchise.
Touting Biden’s legislative accomplishments, Hamill exclaimed, “I want to say, once again, how grateful I am, and that just shows you that one person can be so influential and so positive in our lives.”
It’s not the first White House visit for the 72-year-old performer, a frequent critic of former President Trump.
“It was really amazing to me because I was invited to the Carter White House, and I came. And then I came to the Obama White House, but I never was invited into the Oval Office, and it was a large gathering.”
“So this one was really extra special,” Hamill said.