Whether he likes it or not, Harrison Ford will probably be forever remembered for playing Han Solo in the Star Wars franchise. However, seeing as the character was killed off in The Force Awakens, the actor has now been freed from the role, but that doesn’t mean that’s the end of the story for the fan-favourite hero.
Alden Ehrenreich is taking over the part for Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s solo spinoff next May, and in an overlooked tidbit from the recent Star Wars Celebration, Ford weighed in on what it will be like seeing a younger actor stepping into the role that he made so iconic all those years ago.
“Of course I’ll be watching it as a fan, but it will be weird … it’ll be a little weird … I’ve met the fella who’s gonna play the younger Han Solo. Wonderful guy, very sweet, and a very good actor. So I’m delighted in the choice.”
That’s a strong endorsement, and one that Ehrenreich is probably grateful for considering the fact that he has such big shoes to fill here. After all, while he’s an extremely talented actor, there’s no getting around the fact that many fans are sceptical as to whether he – or anyone for that matter – will ever be able to come close to Ford’s performance.
Further on in the conversation, Harrison Ford also touched on the importance of the sci-fi franchise living on with movies like Han Solo.
“Telling stories is a service occupation. We continue to be allowed to tell stories on the basis of how happy people are with the stories that we tell. There cannot be a higher compliment than seeing all of these people continue to (watch) all of the iterations – and to pass on these stories generationally is the greatest tribute to George and his fabulous invention.”
It’s good to see Ford speak so positively about Star Wars here, as he’s often shied away from it in recent years. While we still don’t know too much about what Disney has planned with Han Solo just yet, it’ll definitely be interesting to see what both the actor and fans (not to mention critics) ultimately make of it.