George Lucas didn’t want Harrison Ford. Not really.
When the green light went up for Star Wars, Ford wasn’t a megastar. He was a guy doing bit parts and swinging a hammer as a carpenter to keep food on the table. Lucas had worked with him briefly on American Graffiti, but that connection actually hurt Ford’s chances. Lucas was adamant about not casting anyone he’d already directed. He wanted fresh faces. He didn’t have Ford in mind for Han Solo. He had a whole list of other people.
Who Else Was Considered For Han Solo?
The casting trail for Han Solo is wild. It’s a graveyard of “what ifs.”
Al Pacino claims he was offered the role. He turned it down because the script made no sense to him. Robert Englund—who you might know as Freddy Krueger—auditioned. He got rejected for being too young. Funny side note: Mark Hamill was sleeping on Englund’s couch at the time. That’s how Hamill heard about the Luke Skywalker audition.
Then there’s the racial dynamics of the early casting. Glynn Turman was high on the list. He was likely going to get Han Solo if Toshiro Mifune had signed on as Obi-Wan Kenobi. Lucas told J.W. Rinzler for The Making of Star Wars: The Definitive Story Behind the Original Film that a Japanese Obi-Wan meant a Black Han Solo. Mifune declined. He worried the movie would cheapen the samurai archetype.
With Mifune out, Alec Guinness stepped in for Obi-Wan. That shifted the board. Christopher Walken became the front-runner for Han. But Lucas still wanted to keep looking.
The Carpenter Door Trick
This is where Fred Roos saves the day. Roos was the casting director. He thought Ford was perfect. Lucas said no. So Roos pulled a stunt.
Ford was working as a carpenter at the time. Roos hired him to hang a door in the studio where the auditions were happening. He scheduled the job specifically so Lucas would be there.
As Lucas and Roos tested potential actors for Han, Luke, and Leia, Ford was just… there. Installing a door.
They came up short on a Han Solo. The chemistry wasn’t clicking. Roos convinced Lucas to let Ford sit in. Just to try it out.
You can watch clips of those original auditions online. It’s interesting to see how tentative it was. Over three days, Lucas watched Ford. He saw the vibe. He realized this grumpy, sarcastic guy was exactly who Han Solo needed to be. He cast him.
Lucas did flirt with the idea of going back to Christopher Walken. But Ford was locked in. The rest is history.
Why Alden Ehrenreich Won the Solo Role
Recasting Han Solo for Solo: A Star Wars Story was a nightmare. You can’t just replace an icon.
Directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller tested thousands of actors. They went through what Miller called an “audition pentathlon.” It was an acting steeplechase. Alden Ehrenreich emerged from the pack.
In a 2016 interview with USA Today, Miller said Ehrenreich was the guy from minute one. He stood out against strong competitors. But the deciding moment wasn’t just acting. It was attitude.
At Star Wars Celebration Europe in 2016, Lord and Miller explained the final test. They put actors in costume. Beside Chewbacca. In the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon.
Most actors got awed. They felt the weight of the role. They stiffened up. Ehrenreich? He just relaxed. He acted like it was no big deal. He eased into the space like he owned it. That’s Han Solo. That’s why he got the part.
Solo: A Star Wars Story hit US theaters on May 25, 2018.
Ford Was Almost Indiana Jones Too
Think Ford was unlucky to miss Han? Wait until you hear about Indiana Jones.
George Lucas didn’t want Ford for that either. After Star Wars made Ford a global face, Lucas thought he’d be too recognizable as Han Solo. He wanted someone else for the archaeologist role.
Lucas’ first choice was Tom Selleck.
