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Taron Egerton turned down Han Solo because he “just didn’t feel it”

Turns out Taron Egerton was close to playing Han Solo in the Star Wars spin-off movie, but he ended up walking away from the opportunity

Harrison Ford as Han Solo in Star Wars

You’d think taking on the role of Star Wars legend Han Solo would be an opportunity any young actor would kill for, but Taron Egerton ended up turning his back on the role. The actor got as far as stepping foot on the Millennium Falcon, meeting Star Wars character Chewbacca, and wearing the iconic Han Solo costume, but he walked away after that because he “just didn’t feel it.”

In 2018, Disney added a new Star Wars movie to a galaxy far, far away, with the spin-off Solo. The science fiction movie filled in some gaps in the backstory of our favourite scruffy nerf-herder, but sadly it was met with a fair amount of criticism and is seen as a flop by the studio. Alden Ehrenreich, who is next appearing in the Oppenheimer film, ended up taking the titular role, and did a fine job to be fair to him.

In an interview with Josh Horowitz on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Egerton revealed that could have been him, but for a gut-feeling telling him to walk away.

“I’ll be honest, I got on the Falcon. I was with Chewie. I was in the full costume,” Egerton explained. “And you know what, that’s what I felt like. I felt like I got there, I did it, I lived it. And there was another round [of auditions] that I decided not to do.”

“It’s far enough in the past now that I feel like I can say that. I hope no one feels annoyed that I have said it,” the actor continued. “But it just felt to me like… I didn’t feel like ‘I’ve gotta do this. This is my part.’ I just didn’t feel it.”

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In fairness, the legacy of filling the shoes of such a character would be enough to make anyone think twice about starring in the intergalactic thriller movie. “No one ever wants to follow Harrison Ford, you know,” Egerton added.

If you want more from Star Wars, here’s all the different ways you can watch Star Wars in order. Or check out all the small screen fun with our list of the best Star Wars series.