Star Wars: Luke Hemsworth Says Missing Out on Solo Role “Really Hurt”

Han Solo is one of the most famous characters in history, which made casting the young version of the character a difficult task for Solo: A Star Wars Story, with Westworld star Luke Hemsworth recently revealing that missing out on that opportunity was more of a disappointment than other roles, given how excited he was by the opportunity. Alden Ehrenreich ultimately won the role, though the film itself ended up being a financial disappointment and seemingly stagnated any possible opportunity to continue the young Solo’s adventures, yet with Hemsworth, now 38, being older than Harrison Ford was in the original Star Wars, it would seem unlikely that he could score the role in a future project featuring the smuggler.

“I’ve definitely auditioned for Solo, Han Solo. I really wanted that,” Hemsworth shared with news.com.au. “That one really hurt more than others because I wanted it so much. You develop a thick skin fairly quickly because more often than not you’re getting turned down.”

As Lucasfilm was attempting to find the perfect Solo, countless actors’ names were thrown into the mix, with Hemsworth detailing how the nature of the audition process is inherently uncomfortable.

“The nature of auditions is you never get feedback,” the actor pointed out. “They’re usually pretty weird. You’re just in a chair. It’s really hard. “Confidence is sometimes … It’s bullsh-t. It’s a bravado. You’re pretending, you’re just trying to get through a performance that doesn’t look like you’re sh-tting yourself. Everyone is just sitting there waiting for you to do something cool. You quickly have to develop a thick skin otherwise you fall apart.”

At the time of shooting Solo, Harrison Ford had defined the on-screen presence of the pilot in four films across multiple decades, making it difficult for any actor to attempt to make the character their own. Chris Miller, who was originally directing the film alongside Phil Lord and cast Ehrenreich, previously detailed why they selected the actor.

“An impression of Harrison Ford would have felt like an extended Saturday Night Live sketch,” Miller shared with Esquire back in 2018. “We wanted someone who could evoke the spirit of the iconic performance we all remember while bringing something new and fresh. We talked a little bit about how Chris Pine, playing Captain Kirk, didn’t do a Shatnervoice, and brought his own spin to the character while still evoking the vibe of the character. We felt Alden did the same with Han Solo.”

Stay tuned for details on the future of Han Solo’s adventures. Hemsworth can currently be seen in Season Three of HBO’s Westworld.

Would you have liked to have seen Hemsworth as Solo? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!