When 1977’s Star Wars came out, it effectively changed the lives of Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher forever. But if the stars had aligned differently, the space epic could have been Al Pacino’s followup to The Godfather if he had not turned down the role of Han Solo. In the Academy Award winner’s memoir, Sonny Boy, Pacino has shared the story behind almost being the iconic character that starred in the best Star Wars movies.
In the 1970s, Al Pacino’s career skyrocketed immensely when he played Michael Corleone in Francis Ford Coppola’s masterpiece. While talking about the sudden fame in Sonny Boy (via Entertainment Weekly), the actor said this:
The Godfather followed me everywhere I went and overshadowed everything I did. I was shy about it, and the world wouldn't let me be shy. I was absolutely confounded by all the commotion. After The Godfather, they would have let me play anything. They offered me the role of Han Solo in Star Wars.
Pretty wild, right? As Pacino shared, he was overwhelmed with all the attention he was getting post-Godfather, and there many directions his career could have gone down if he wanted to. Of course, we know he didn’t get the role, but he certainly put some thought into starring in the George Lucas movie. As he continued:
So there I am, reading Star Wars. I gave it to Charlie. I said, 'Charlie, I can't make anything out of this.' He calls me back. 'Neither can I.' So I didn't do it.
Al Pacino decided to leave it up to his acting teacher Charlie Laughton, who would go on to be a lifelong friend and mentor to the actor. Under the guidance of Laughton, not only would Pacino reject Star Wars, but he rejected blockbusters and franchises all together (aside from Ocean’s Thirteen back in 2007). Oh, and he did a donut commercial in an Adam Sandler movie, but we’re talking about the early years here.
Over the years, we’ve learned a ton of other big actors could have done Star Wars. Both Sylvester Stallone and Kurt Russell auditioned, but didn’t book it. Burt Reynolds, like Pacino, was offered the role, but turned it down, though he said in 2016 that he “regret” it and wishes he could have played the part.
Even though it’s fun to imagine what could have been, it’s hard to see anyone else but Harrison Ford playing Han Solo. The story behind Ford getting the role has to do with his connection with George Lucas on his prior film, American Graffiti. But, in a fun connection to himself and Al Pacino, the actor has said that he was working as a carpenter for the filmmaker behind The Godfather, Francis Ford Coppola, when he was approached for the role.
Ford’s role as Han Solo would directly feed into his legendary role in the Indiana Jones movies and help him become one of Hollywood’s biggest actors, while Al Pacino took the auteur route. Almost 50 years later, there’s more upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows on the way.
