Star Wars: Harrison Ford was originally denied Han Solo role by George Lucas
This week Harrison Ford turned 79-years-old, meaning the actor has portrayed the legendary space hero Han Solo for over 50 years. Back in the 1970s Ford was an unknown actor and was working hard on getting some recognition. The young heartthrob had claimed a few small parts in some independent films but had not gathered enough renown to become a huge star just yet. In the meantime, Ford was also working as a carpenter to pay the bills and put food on the table for his family. During one of his smaller jobs, he was cast in a George Lucas movie titled American Graffiti.
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American Graffiti was one of Lucas’ first feature-length films.
The movie was released in 1973 and starred a familiar cast, including Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Terry McGovern and Ford.
Ford’s part in the film was small but notable enough that Lucas would remember him in the months to come.
A year later, when Lucas was working on casting actors for his next feature, Star Wars, he refused to cast Ford again.
