Al Pacino has teasingly taken credit for Harrison Ford’s illustrious career.
Before Ford became known globally as rebel hero Han Solo in the Star Wars franchise, it appears the Millennium Falcon spaceship could’ve had a different pilot.
During an event in New York on Wednesday (19 April), Pacino revealed he had originally been offered Ford’s role in the sci-fi fantasy.
“When I first came up, I was the new kid on the block, you know what happens when you first become famous,” The Godfather star told the audience per Variety. “It’s like, ‘Give it to Al.’ They’d give me Queen Elizabeth to play.”
Pacino said he was given a “script called Star Wars” and had been offered “so much money”.
The 82-year-old Scarface actor explained that he “read it” but “didn’t understand it”.
“So I said I couldn’t do it,” Pacino said. “I turned down Star Wars.”
He then joked: “I gave Harrison Ford a career.”
While Pacino turned down the role that would go on to shoot Ford to worldwide fame, he instead led the 1977 romance drama Bobby Deerfield.
Although his alternative choice was poorly received by critics, Pacino went on to star in other classics, including Scarface (1983), Carlito’s Way (1993), Donnie Brasco (1997), and more recently The Irishman (2019).
Just before leading the final film in the Star Wars trilogy, Ford landed his career-defining role as the intrepid archaeologist Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981).
Three more Indiana Jones films later and the now 80-year-old actor will reprise the iconic role in the forthcoming Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, premiering in cinemas on 30 June.
In order for the opening sequence to maintain continuity with the original trilogy, Ford will feature digitally de-aged.
Last December, Indiana Jones fans rejoiced at the release of the first trailer teaser for the fifth movie.
