It is tough to imagine anyone else but Harrison Ford playing Han Solo.
When Star Wars was in pre-production, Ford was actually reading lines alongside other actors auditioning for the movie, as George Lucas wasn't keen on him for the part of Han.
Kurt Russell, Nick Nolte, Sylvester Stallone, Bill Murray, Christopher Walken, Burt Reynolds, Jack Nicholson, James Caan, Robert De Niro, Steve Martin, Chevy Chase and Al Pacino were all allegedly in the running for the role.
Eventually, Lucas was impressed with Ford's version of Han Solo and gave him the part. The rest is history.
READ MORE: The 10 best Harrison Ford movies of all time
But, Pacino has joked that he gave Ford his career by turning down the role.
As part of 92nd Street Y, New York’s 'People Who Inspire Us', Pacino was asked if there was any role he regretted turning down. He responded:
“I turned down Star Wars.
“So I was there and all of a sudden they gave me a script that was called Star Wars. I said, ‘I got the script, they offered me so much money, but I don’t understand it. I gave Harrison Ford a career, which he has never thanked me for!”
At the time Star Wars was being cast, Pacino was arguably the most sought-after actor in the world following his performances in iconic hits like The Godfather, The Godfather Part II, Serpico and Dog Day Afternoon.
Ford would go on to play Han Solo in the original Star Wars trilogy as well as the first movie in the sequel trilogy, Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Al Pacino turned down Star Wars
Related Movie
Star Wars
Fantasy / Scifi
1977 • 121 minutes
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