With the film fast approaching, the stars of the new Star Wars have of course been agreeing to interviews. Entertainment Weekly spoke to Harrison Ford about The Force Awakens and a variety of other topics.
There’s a taste of the irascible old space dog in Ford, who admits he watched the latest trailer over his shoulder while busy with family life, and remarks upon the fact that the promo’s footage indicates that Solo has come to terms with the reality of such concepts as the Jedi and the Force. ““There’s not an abandoning of the character,” Ford says. “He does not aspire to the position of Ben Kenobi, nor do I aspire to be some New Age Alec Guinness. His development is consistent with the character, and there are emotional elements which have occasioned his growth.” And he won’t suddenly be some wise old sage like Ben either. “We spend a lot more time on his failure to master basic skills, like accounting. And accounting for his own behavior. There’s a lot of the rogue still left in Solo. Some things don’t change.”
And there are also questions about the future, of the franchise, which includes a planned movie about the pre-Star Wars days of Mr. Solo. Admitting that he’s never given much thought to how he’d feel about someone else inheriting the character, he does have some advice. “I would say, ‘Talk to your director. Watch the movies. And welcome aboard. Make it your own.’”
And finally, what of his other iconic character, one that could also potentially be taken over by someone else? No, not Drummer from The Expendables 3… Indiana Jones! It appears he’s still happy to pick up the fedora and whip one more time. “I’d love to do another Indiana Jones,” he says. “A character that has a history and a potential, kind of a rollicking good movie ride for the audience, Steven Spielberg as a director — what’s not to like?” What indeed. For more from the chat with Ford, head to EW’s site.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens arrives in UK cinemas on December 17. Our guide to the movie is here and there will be much more about it in the next issue of Empire.