Iconic actor Al Pacino said he lost "so much money" by turning down the role of Han Solo in "Star Wars" and helping to launch Harrison Ford's career.
During a talk at The 92nd Street Y in New York on Wednesday, Pacino, 82, spoke about how he nearly starred in the classic 1970s film. At the time, Pacino said he was an emerging star and that movie offers were pouring in.
"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. It's like, 'Give it to Al.' They'd give me Queen Elizabeth to play," he said, according to Variety.
Pacino admitted that he passed on the "Star Wars" script because he didn't understand it. Ford, who until that point had only a few minor roles to his name, was cast.
"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," Pacino said.
In 2013, Pacino also joked about helping to launch Bruce Willis' career after turning down the lead part in 1988's "Die Hard."
"I gave that boy a career," Pacino said, according to The Guardian.
In 2021, he made similar remarks, saying that he was going to make Ford pay him back.
"He owes me so big!" Pacino said, according to LA Weekly. "I'm gonna have him pay me back. I'm gonna have him build my house."
In an interview with The Talks, Pacino admitted that passing up the opportunity appear in "Star Wars" "was my first big mistake," along with turning down a role in Terrence Malick's "Days of Heaven."
"They're in the museum of mistakes," Pacino said.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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