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Star Wars Day: The incredible first jobs of the superstar actors

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Many of the actors in the Star Wars franchise have become household names, but before they were fighting in a galaxy far, far away, they had to start somewhere.

No actor starts off as a superstar, and many have to other, far more mundane, jobs, to make ends meet.

READ MORE: Star Wars Day: How George Lucas' franchise continues to make billions

Here's a look at the first jobs of some of the most famous Star Wars actors.

Harrison Ford

Harrison Ford

Before he became the iconic Han Solo (and even more iconic Indiana Jones), Ford worked as a carpenter.

In fact, he was hired by George Lucas to build cabinets for his office before being cast in Star Wars.

READ MORE: Hollywood’s strangest Jobs: The bullwhip trainer who trained Harrison Ford for Indiana Jones role

Mark Hamill

Mark Hamill

You probably know Mark as the famous Luke Skywalker, but Hamill's first proper job was as an usher at a movie theatre.

However, as a teenager he was once fired from Jack in the Box for doing funny impressions at the drive-thru window.

He told Insider years later: "I thought you should talk like a clown, which is what I did.

"I thought it was amusing — my boss thought it was annoying." 

He would later go on to star in one of the biggest movie franchises of all time, but he never forgot his roots in the movie industry.

Carrie Fisher

Star Wars actress Carrie Fisher
Star Wars actress Carrie Fisher

The late actress who played the legendary Princess Leia first job was as a stage actress, performing in a production of Irene in London's West End in 1973.

She was just 17 years old at the time.

Daisy Ridley

Daisy Ridley

Ridley's first job was as a bartender in a London pub.

She was working there when she landed the role of Rey in the Star Wars sequel trilogy.

READ MORE: Hollywood writers start strike after negotiation breakdown with studios

John Boyega

Before he played Finn in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, Boyega worked as a stock boy at a supermarket in London.

Adam Driver

Adam Driver

Driver's first job was as a vacuum cleaner salesman in Indiana.

Speaking to Howard Stern about the job, he said: "I was really bad: the vacuums seemed to always be falling apart. Every time I did a demonstration, I'd say, 'This is the material the astronauts used on Apollo 13.' And no sooner had that come out of my mouth, something would malfunction."

He would later go on to star as the villainous Kylo Ren in the Star Wars sequel trilogy.

Oscar Isaac

Oscar Isaac

Isaac worked as a security guard before he became an actor.

He also worked with his father at a hospital where his work included "taking people to do X-rays, bringing the deceased down to the morgue.”

He would eventually go on to play the heroic pilot Poe Dameron in the Star Wars sequel trilogy.

Peter Mayhew

Peter Mayhew

The 7ft 3ins actor, who died in 2019 and played the ferocious Chewbacca, started life working in a hospital in the English county of Surrey.

He was working at the hospital when he was snapped up for the iconic role.

These actors may have started in humble beginnings, but they've gone on to become some of the most recognizable faces in the entertainment industry. It just goes to show that hard work and determination can pay off, even in a galaxy far, far away.

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