Autograph hounds press George Lucas; he presses back – “go out and get a job”

Autograph hounds clearly test the patience of Hollywood honcho and Modesto native George Lucas, and he isn’t shy about saying so on a video posted Tuesday on the TMZ website.

Lucas was videotaped in Beverly Hills by TMZ surrounded by autograph seekers as he answered reporter questions about, among other things, Ron Howard taking over directing duties for the upcoming Han Solo film (“I think he’ll be great.”). But as the throng kept pressing him for more signatures, he let them know there was a breaking point to his goodwill.

“I’m not going to keep doing that guys,” Lucas said, adding that most of the requests were not coming because of any admiration for the creator and director of “Star Wars” and “American Graffiti,” but so the autographs could be sold for profit.

“This is $200 a signature so why don’t you just go out and get a job,” he said to those pressing him for signatures. Turning to the camera, he added “these people are here to make money, they’re not here, they’re not fans, they don’t care, they just want to make money.”

While the Downey High graduate signed several papers, posters and pictures shoved at him in the video, he noted that one autograph hound “just got $1,000 worth of stuff.”

This story was originally published June 27, 2017 at 11:31 AM with the headline "Autograph hounds press George Lucas; he presses back – “go out and get a job”."