The highly anticipated Han Solo prequel movie, Solo: A Star Wars Story, received its premiere on May 10th, with a gala screening in Los Angeles, but there was one person notably missing in the crowd. Harrison Ford, who embodied Han Solo as the iconic Star Wars character as we know it today, chose not to attend the premiere. This, however, doesn’t mean he didn’t saw the movie.
Solo: A Star Wars Story director Ron Howard recently spoke with Variety and said that Ford has seen the movie twice and absolutely “adores” it. Howard also added that Ford gave him a call after seeing the movie for the first time and gave it a glowing review.
“I had never heard Harrison effusive about anything, and he was raving about it,” Howard told Variety. “He said, ‘Alden nailed it. He made it his own.'”
Harrison Ford landed the role of Han Solo in 1977’s Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, and this role went on to establish him as a Hollywood superstar. He went on to reprise the role in sequels: The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Return of the Jedi (1983), and Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015). Ford didn’t participate in Solo: A Star Wars Story, but did have a sit-down with Alden Ehrenreich, who plays the young Han Solo, with the young star deciding to absorb as much as he could from Ford and then rely on his instincts to guide him rather than doing an impersonation.
“Just like in a biopic, the main thing is that pretty soon into the movie you’re really just involved with this story and these characters, and that’s the most important thing,” Ehrenreich to Variety. “Your job is the same as in any other movie: to make the scene work and make it feel like a real person.”
Solo: A Star Wars Story will receive its official release on May 25th in the United States. According to the early reviews, the movie will appeal to both the casual and hardcore fans of the Star Wars franchise but they shouldn’t set their expectations too high.
