Harrison Ford: Han Solo Will Not Change In ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’
As the buzz from the Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailers continues to ignite the Internet and social media, the obsession for the blockbuster space opera will continue long after the films release on December 17. Many fans are pondering the inevitable though. It’s been 32 years since the original actors were gracing our screens in Return of the Jedi. With experience, old age, and varying career trajectories, has anything changed? Well, during an interview, Harrison Ford stepped forward to reveal that, while Han Solo has matured somewhat, he is still making the same mistakes, and hasn’t changed at all.
On multiple occasions over the last few decades, Harrison Ford has revealed that he wanted Han Solo killed off in Return of the Jedi, a move he thought would lend the film some emotional gravity on conclusion of the original trilogy. Most recently, he discussed this with Wired. But, while speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Harrison Ford spoke of his excitement at returning to the Star Wars franchise, and revealed some tasty information about our returning hero.
“He was always the cynical member of the original characters. While we were invited to engage on the questions of some pretty arcane mysteries — the Force and the mythology that surrounds it — he was the guy who said, ‘What? Huh? Come on.’ It’s what made the interplay between the characters work. There was a callow youth, a beautiful princess, a wise old warrior, and there was a smart-a**.”
He went on to help many fans relax, those who were worried that Solo would be getting soft in his old age.
“No, there’s not an abandoning of the character. He does not aspire to the position of Obi-‘Ben’ Kenobi, nor do I aspire to be some New Age Alec Guinness. His development is consistent with the character, and there are emotional elements which have occasioned his growth. We spend a lot more time [in the movie] on his failure to master basic skills, like accounting. And accounting for his own behavior. There’s a lot of the rogue still left in Solo. Some things don’t change.”
However, with Ford stealing scenes in an early trailer by simply uttering, “Chewie, we’re home,” and making many fans and celebrities cry/cheer/laugh in the process, it seems to be business as usual for everyone’s favorite space rogue. The fans can relax, on Solo’s behalf anyway. Whether Princess Leia or Luke Skywalker are the same, well, that remains to be seen.
After Darth Vader’s demise in Return of the Jedi, and a significant glimpse at his mangled helmet in the trailer, one that seems to hint at a vengeful villain of some kind, who knows where this leaves his two estranged children? Many are already speculating about Skywalkers’ mysterious absence from the trailer — could Vader’s death and redemption lead to Skywalker’s trip to the dark side, something that was heavily speculated in the original trilogy? With the trailer featuring scenes of Princess Leia in distress, and the imminent introduction of a new villain — one who has to fill Vader’s massive shoes — expect the revelations to come thick and fast in the coming weeks.
Even at the grand old age of 73, Harrison Ford still has the time to enjoy his work, and still shows a passion for the iconic character that he made so popular to the masses. Fans are chomping at the bit to see the seventh movie in the Star Wars franchise, and with little over a month remaining, this information from Ford came at just the right time. As people continue to depict and decipher the trailers that have revealed so much but so little at the same time, this information will be the first to pave the way to a successful, box-office shattering release in December.
Directed by J.J. Abrams and starring Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, and Gwendoline Christie, Star Wars: The Force Awakens is released in the U.K. on December 17, before opening in the U.S one day later.
[Featured photo courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures/Lucasfilm]
