Star Wars: Solo Director Ron Howard Reveals How Harrison Ford “Privately” Reacted to the Film

Having portrayed a number of compelling characters throughout his career, it doesn’t seem like an understatement to call Harrison Ford one of the most beloved actors of all time, while also rarely being one to mince words in interviews, with Solo: A Star Wars Story director Ron Howard recently detailing how, whether it be in public or in private, Ford commended star Alden Ehrenreich’s work on the film, knowing the difficulties of embodying the iconic smuggler. The feat would have been difficult for any actor, knowing the legacy Ford left behind after playing Solo in four films, with the actor offering his support of Ehrenreich from the get-go.

“He said some things publicly, but privately, it was really great to see him put his hand on Alden’s shoulder and say, ‘Great job kid,’” Howard shared with the Lights Camera Barstool podcast. “Alden worked so hard and it was a very high-risk situation for him and he was a cool customer and was really a pleasure to work with, as was that entire cast, they are just a great bunch.”

The comments from Howard, that Ford was just as supportive in front of cameras as he was in private, will surely come as exciting news to fans, especially knowing that Ford has absolutely no obligation to blindly praise an actor merely to promote the project.

Howard also went on to detail that, despite Ford not being directly involved in Solo and Howard taking over directorial duties following the departure of Chris Lord and Phil Miller with only a short time left on principal photography, he reached out to the iconic actor to get input on what made Han Solo such a fascinating figure.

“Harrison’s a very thoughtful actor and an artist, and I wanted to know what he learned about the character,” the filmmaker explained. “He said that Han is always torn between that sense that he was, in a way, an orphan, and therefore both yearned for connection with people and struggled with it at the same time. I thought that was pretty interesting.”

Sadly, despite how much Ford seemingly enjoyed Solo, and fans as well, actor Ehrenreich has mentioned on multiple occasions that there have been no updates on ever getting a sequel or possibly a spinoff of the standalone story.

Stay tuned for details on the possible future of Solo: A Star Wars Story.

What do you think of the actor’s remarks? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!