Paul Bettany Admits He Begged Ron Howard to Appear in ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’

When it comes to the Star Wars franchise, auditioning for a role can be an arduous process. But sometimes, all it takes is some begging.

Actor Paul Bettany appeared on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon to discuss his new role in Solo: A Star Wars Story when he revealed a funny story about how he got the job.

“It’s humiliating. It was super humiliating. Ron Howard, I think it can be empirically proven that he’s the loveliest, sweetest man in the world,” Bettany said. “He will lie and say that he went ‘Paul’s the only guy for the job.’ And the truth is that I texted him kind of begging.”

Fallon then produced a screenshot of the text message exchange between Bettany and Howard, revealing it for the fans.

Bettany: Have you ever spent long winter evenings wondering why you’re not in the Star Wars franchise? I have.

Howard: LOL I’ll get back to you.

Bettany previously relayed a similar story, talking about how ecstatic he was that he got to play the villain in the new film, while also revealing some sources of inspiration for the gangster known as Dryden Vos.

“There were some pretty shady characters that I have met throughout my life, and I used them for inspiration,” Bettany said during a Twitter Q&A. “Especially with the sort of physicality of getting really close and physical with people, and sort of dominating them physically in what feels like a friendly way but could go wrong pretty quickly.”

The actor previously teased his role in the film while speaking with Total Film.

“It’s Han Solo’s story, and of course his story would be a caper,” said Bettany. “On one level it’s a gangster movie. That’s really interesting, because it’s within the canon but really different. It’s f*cking Han Solo!”

“Suddenly, I’m an intergalactic gangster and I’m walking down some stairs and an R2 unit goes by with some champagne, and I’m like… [drops jaw] I had that feeling that I hadn’t had since I was first on a film set – I was a little boy doing the best job in the world,” Bettany said.

Fans will get to see Bettany’s villainous turn as the crime lord Dryden Vos when Solo: A Star Wars Story premieres in theaters on May 25th.

Are you excited to explore the seedy underbelly of the Star Wars galaxy? Be sure to chime in with your thoughts in the comment section!