Al Pacino took credit for giving Harrison Ford a career by bowing out of a role in “Star Wars,” according to a recent interview with Variety.
The legendary actor was interviewed at The 92nd Street Y, New York and spoke candidly about the very big role he walked away from, which created space for Harrison Ford, and ultimately launched his career, according to Variety.
“They gave me a script called ‘Star Wars,'” Pacino said. “They offered me so much money. I don’t understand it. I read it. … So I said I couldn’t do it. I gave Harrison Ford a career,” he said, according to Variety.
Al Pacino: “Well, I turned down ‘Star Wars.’ They gave me a script called ‘Star Wars.’ They offered me so much money. I don’t understand it. I read it…So I said I couldn’t do it. I gave Harrison Ford a career.” https://t.co/AdmLn9CcKL
— Variety (@Variety) April 20, 2023
Pacino opened up about the reason he decided not to accept the iconic role in “Star Wars” when it was presented to him.
“Well, I turned down ‘Star Wars.’ When I first came up, I was the new kid on the block, you know what happens when you first become famous,” he said.
“It’s like, ‘Give it to Al.’ They’d give me Queen Elizabeth to play,” Pacino said.
Ford ultimately cashed in on the role and launched a very lucrative career for himself, thanks to Pacino leaving the space open for him to enter.
Al Pacino was offered the role of Han Solo in the STAR WARS trilogy but turned it down because he “didn’t understand the script.”
Harrison Ford was ultimately cast instead. pic.twitter.com/N6GiqHVhhh
— More Butter 🧈 (@morebuttertv) August 15, 2022
On the other side of the equation, Ford, who was working as a carpenter at the time, was offered the role in quite an unconventional way.
Filmmaker George Lucas promised himself never to repeat casting from one movie to another. He had just wrapped “American Graffiti” and casting director Fred Roos had his eyes set on Ford, according to Far Out. He crafted a “chance” meeting where Ford was to build a door in the same building as the casting call to create the opportunity. (RELATED: Harrison Ford Sets The Record Straight On His Perceived Social Anxiety)
“Harrison had done a lot of carpentry for me…He needed money, he had kids, he wasn’t a big movie star yet,” Roos said, the outlet reported.
“The day he was doing it, George happened to be there. It was serendipitous,” he said, according to Far Out.
The rest, as they say, is history.