Harrison Ford has portrayed Han Solo in five movies, and it’s hard to imagine anyone else in the role. In Solo: A Star Wars Story, a younger version of the Star Wars protagonist was played by Alden Ehrenreich, while in the animated web series Forces of Destiny, Solo was voiced by A.J. LoCascio and Kiff VandenHeuvel. Still, everyone remembers Ford and forgets the rest.
However, Harrison Ford wasn’t the first and only choice for Solo, who first appeared in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. Some major actors were in contention to play the character who was once named the 14th greatest film hero by the American Film Institute. George Lucas had initially avoided casting actors from his earlier film, American Graffiti, including Ford, who had impressed during auditions. But as fate would have it, all roads led back to him.
8
Al Pacino
Al Pacino became one of Hollywood’s most sought-after actors after playing Michael Corleone in the first two Godfather movies. Speaking to MTV at the 2014 Toronto Film Festival, the star revealed that he was eyed for many major roles, including Han Solo. According to the actor, he didn’t audition. He was presented with the screenplay and the deal. Sadly, he turned it down.
“I read the script, and I didn’t understand it,” Pacino said, something he has repeated numerous times, including in his memoir. The star even sent the script to his mentor, Charlie Laughton, who was equally confused. However, his choice not to star in the movie appears to have been inspired by personal preferences rather than a failure to understand the script. Pacino has only appeared in one sci-fi movie in his career (S1m0ne), suggesting he may not be a huge fan of the genre. He would later joke during a 2023 talk at The 92nd Street Y in New York that he “gave Harrison Ford a career.”
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Sylvester Stallone
Sylvester Stallone wanted Han Solo, but George Lucas wasn’t so keen on getting into the Sly business. The actor has recounted his disastrous audition in multiple interviews, notably on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon while promoting The Expendables 3 (in which he co-starred with Harrison Ford). He remembers immediately sensing a lack of interest from Lucas, noting that the man avoided eye contact and “thought he was from another planet.” Rather than embarrass himself, Stallone chose not to go ahead with the reading.
Perhaps it was all a case of wrong timing. Even though Rocky came out a year before Star Wars, the Stallone hit hadn’t been released when the auditions for the sci-fi movie happened. Lucas, therefore, had no idea who he was. Does he regret it? Probably not, but he would definitely have treated Stallone better had the timelines been different. On his part, the Tulsa King star believes that everything worked out perfectly as he ended up becoming one of the greatest action stars of the ’80s and ’90s. He probably would have been too busy to shoot First Blood had he gotten the part of Han Solo, and what’s the world without Stallone as Rambo?
6
Burt Reynolds
Burt Reynolds claimed to have turned down many major roles throughout his career, including James Bond. The actor also claimed that he was offered the part of Han Solo, but he just wasn’t feeling it. During a talk with Business Insider in 2016, he stated: “I just didn’t want to play that kind of role at the time.”
Would Reynolds have been great for the part? It’s hard to tell. Should he have taken it? Yes! As great an actor as Reynolds was, he never had a major franchise role, one that would have made him a true global superstar rather than an American darling. Han Solo would have done that for him. Despite his questionable career choices, Reynolds remains firmly in the hearts and minds of our grandmothers.
5
Christopher Walken
“I did audition for Star Wars, but I don’t think I came remotely close to getting the job. About 500 other actors auditioned,” Walken told The Financial Times. “I’m very glad Harrison Ford got it. I would have been terrible,” he added. Walken also recalls screen-testing opposite a young Jodie Foster, who was eyeing the role of Princess Leia. Unfortunately, a Disney contract conflict prevented her from getting the part.
It’s hard to picture Walken as Solo. His characters tend to be stern and unsettling rather than charming and sarcastic. Thankfully, everything worked out well for him. Even though he never made the trip to Tatooine, Walken won an Oscar just a year later for The Deer Hunter. Years later, he would also get the chance to star in a Star Wars-like franchise, playing Emperor Shaddam IV in Dune: Part Two.
4
Robert Englund
Englund’s Han Solo story is an interesting one. He originally went to the casting building to try to get a part in Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now. He was rejected, but a producer informed him that George Lucas was casting a space opera movie across the hall. Englund immediately became interested because he had liked Lucas’s previous film, American Graffiti. According to the actor, the casting team only took a few Polaroids of him, and he never did a full script reading. He was eventually rejected.
No one is likely to feel bad about what happened. Not Englund. Not his fans. The actor went on to play one of the most iconic movie villains: Freddy Krueger. His experience was also beneficial to another actor. While auditioning, Englund noticed the “sides” (audition scripts) for another character named Luke Skywalker, which he felt his friend, Mark Hamill, would be perfect for. Hamill’s agent had already told him about it, but he wasn’t sure. When Englund mentioned it too, he realized he needed to do it. The rest is history.
3
Glynn Turman
In the mid-1970s, Glynn Turman – then known for Cooley High – was invited to audition for Star Wars. According to the actor, he didn’t know he was reading for Han Solo. He only learned years later, while reading the book Skywalking: The Life and Films of George Lucas, that he had been a serious contender. Unfortunately, Lucas backed off, afraid of the controversy that would stem from an interracial romance between a black Han Solo and a white Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher).
Did Lucas make the right call? In his biography, he states he didn’t want the film to turn into a Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner situation, referring to the controversy surrounding the 1967 film about an interracial couple. That’s an issue worth debating about. As for Turman, he wasn’t bitter about it, later joking: “I’m waiting to run into Harrison Ford and get my cut of his career!” His career turned out just fine as he went on to be part of many critically acclaimed projects, notably The Wire.
2
James Caan
Eager to sell his risky space opera idea to studios, Lucas sought James Caan for the role of Han Solo. Thanks to his Godfather fame, he was among the few high-profile stars who received direct offers. However, he turned it down because he was more interested in dramatic roles. He even threw some shade while on The Howard Stern Show, saying: “They didn’t want an actor – that’s why they got Harrison Ford.”
Not sure what Sonny is talking about there, but the mighty Harrison Ford has Oscar and Emmy nominations on his resume. He sure is an “actor.” Would Caan have been great for the role? His Sol wouldn’t have been as charming as Ford’s, but he’d have been interesting to watch in different ways. The actor arguably never had a bad performance in his career, and it’s highly unlikely that he would have struggled in Star Wars.
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Nick Nolte
Nolte was among the long list of actors considered for Solo. He later admitted that he likely would have been a “kind of goofy Star Wars guy,” something that would have worked. However, the casting team was looking for an actor who could bring both grittiness and comedy to the role, so they went with Ford.
Well, Nolte has done well in dramas over the years, and his three Oscar nominations prove he would have found a way to make Solo shine. Thankfully, the rejection wasn’t the end of the Star Wars road for him. Years later, he’d provide the voice of Kuiil, the intelligent and gruff Ugnaught vapor farmer from The Mandalorian. His character would end up having one of the best Star Wars catchphrases: “I have spoken.” Kuiil often used the line to end an argument.
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