Mark Hamill admits dodgy career advice he gave Arnold Schwarzenegger

Mark Hamill gave Arnie some career advice - luckily, he ignored it. Photos / Getty Images

Mark Hamill has revealed the dodgy advice he gave to Arnold Schwarzenegger at the start of his career.

The Star Wars actor shared the fun story on Twitter on the weekend: "Arnold Schwarzenegger asked me for advice when he was just starting out. I told him to lose his accent for a wider range of roles & to change his last name since no one could pronounce it. He did the opposite & became one of the biggest stars EVER #TrueStory."

Hamill's confession quickly racked up more than 20,000 likes and even the Terminator star himself responded.

"Your advice was absolutely correct under any normal circumstances, and those were the rules back then. I just happen to be a rule-breaker," Schwarzenegger wrote.

Arnie obviously didn't change his name but many A-list celebrities have over the years. Here are some of the most famous examples.

Miley Cyrus: The twerk-tastic singer was actually born Destiny Hope Cyrus. As a child she was always smiling, so her parents nicknamed her 'smiley,' which later got shortened to Miley.

Katy Perry: The I Kissed a Girl singer was born Kathryn Hudson. She decided to change her surname to Perry (which is her mother's maiden name) so that people wouldn't confuse her with actor Kate Hudson.

Olivia Wilde: Understandably the Tron actor wasn't wild about her real surname … Cockburn.

Ashton Kutcher: The former Two and Half Men actor was born Christopher Ashton Kutcher but decided that Ashton was a much catchier name to use. Agreed.

Elton John: The ageing singer changed his name from Reginald Kenneth Dwight, because when it comes down to it, Reginald isn't exactly the most hip and happening name.

Joaquin Phoenix: The oddball actor was originally known as Joaquín Rafael Bottom. He probably changed his name because he was the butt of too many jokes.

Tina Fey: The 30 Rock star was born Elizabeth Stamatina Fey. We don't care what name she goes by, she's hilarious.

Vin Diesel: The macho man decided not to keep his real name Mark Sinclair Vincent. Good call, Vin.

Bruno Mars: The singer didn't like his name just the way it was, so he ditched his birth name of Peter Gene Hernandez and became Bruno Mars.

Nicki Minaj: The rapper's real name is Onika Tanya Maraj.

Demi Moore: The actor thought she'd have 'moore' chance of a successful career if she changed her name from Demetria Gene Guynes.

Michael Caine: Close your eyes and imagine Caine using his majestic cockney accent to pronounce his real name, Maurice Joseph Micklewhite. It's not right is it?