‘Nightmare on Elm Street’ Star Robert Englund Reveals His Surprising Connection to 'Star Wars' (Exclusive)

The horror icon shares with PEOPLE how he helped guide Mark Hamill to a galaxy far, far away

Freddy Krueger: full-time child murderer, part-time industry liaison?

Robert Englund, 76, the horror icon who originated that hair-raising Nightmare on Elm Street villain, recently opened up to PEOPLE about his surprising connection to the Star Wars universe. Funnily enough, the story begins not with Star Wars director George Lucas, but with Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now.

“I had managed to read a bootleg script, and I was begging my agent and trying everything I could, pulling every string I could to get in to audition for Apocalypse Now,” Englund recalls while looking back on his career as he discusses the new documentary about his life, Hollywood Dreams and Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story.

“I got in there and I was dressed in my thrift store, military secondhand clothing, and I was all tan and long blonde hair," he remembers of his audition for the Vietnam war classic. "And they thought, for a moment I might be right for the surfer role."

The Freddy vs. Jason star didn't ultimate get cast in Apocalypse Now, but a casting agent thought he might be a good fit for the “space movie that they were casting across the hall.” It was then that a name on the audition pages caught his eye: Luke Skywalker.

"What a name," he remembers thinking. "I'd never heard the name before, I didn't know what it meant, just the coolest name in the world, Luke Skywalker."

As far as the casting experience for the first Star Wars film went, Englund says: "All they did was take a polaroid of me."

Related: 'Stranger Things' Director Shares 'Nightmare on Elm Street' Connections in Robert Englund's Episode

Englund says he went on to eventually recommend that his friend Mark Hamill ask about the Skywalker role.

“I'm a character actor, so I never thought of it for me, but when I went back to my apartment, there was Mark with a Heineken in his fist watching Bob Newhart. I told him about it, and he got on the phone and called his agent.”

"Now his agent, I believe she already had him up for the role," Englund recalls. "And that may be true, I don't know, but I know that Mark hadn't heard about it yet. And I did tell him about it, and he got on the phone. That's the story."

The rest is history, with Hamill going on to play the lightsaber-wielding hero that captivated global audiences. Of course, Englund would get his big break as well, taking on the bloodcurdling role of Freddy Krueger.

Related: Nancy's House from 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' Hits the Market for $3.25 Million — See Inside!

Englund reflects on his prolific horror-filled career in the new documentary, Hollywood Dreams and Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story.

"A classically trained actor and director, Robert Englund has become one of the most revolutionary horror icons of our generation," reads a synopsis for the film. "Throughout his career, Englund starred in many well-known movies, but shot to super-stardom with his portrayal of supernatural serial killer Freddy Krueger in the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. This unique and intimate portrait captures the man behind the glove and features interviews with Englund and his wife Nancy, Lin Shaye, Eli Roth, Tony Todd, Heather Langenkamp and more."

While Krueger may have been Englund’s king-making role, he continues to make waves today. The character actor was recently featured in Stranger Things and hosted the Travel Channel show True Terror with Robert Englund.

Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story is available to stream on Digital.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.