Al Pacino turned down Han Solo role in Star Wars because he “didn’t understand” the script

Hollywood legend Al Pacino has revealed he once passed on the chance to play one of cinema’s most iconic roles—Han Solo in Star Wars—simply because the script didn’t make sense to him.

The Oscar-winning star, famed for The Godfather, Scarface, and Heat, told Entertainment Weekly that he was offered “a fortune” for the role in the mid-1970s, shortly after his success in The Godfather Part II. But George Lucas’s space opera left him bewildered.

“They handed me this script, and I thought, I don't understand, I must be out of space myself,” Pacino, now 85, joked. “No, I can’t play something if I don’t speak the language.”

Before declining the offer, Pacino even sent the screenplay to his friend and mentor Charlie Loughton. “I said, ‘What do you make of this?’ He said, ‘I don’t get it, Al.’ I said, ‘Well, I don’t either; what are we going to do?’”

The role of Han Solo eventually went to Harrison Ford, who catapulted to global fame with the 1977 release of Star Wars. Reflecting on his decision with his trademark dry wit, Pacino laughed, “I think I’m in the mood to make Harrison Ford a career.”

Pacino doesn’t seem to harbour any regrets. Despite missing out on a franchise that changed cinematic history, he’s continued to enjoy a stellar career and remains a respected icon of both stage and screen.

He is currently starring in The Ritual, a chilling exorcism thriller alongside Downton Abbey’s Dan Stevens.

As for Han Solo? Turns out, the Force just wasn’t with him.