Ron Howard has been a household name pretty much his entire life. He was an adorable child actor, has continued to act throughout his life, and eventually moved into Directing, where he’s been behind the scenes on a wide variety of movies, from The Grinch Who Stole Christmas to A Beautiful Mind to Apollo 13. He’s proved time and time again that he can make a movie touch the hearts of audiences, so it’s no wonder that everyone I’ve spoken to about Solo: A Star Wars Story has said something along the lines of “I was nervous when I heard about this movie- until I heard Ron Howard was directing it.”
A couple of weeks ago, after screening the movie at the World Premiere and seeing that he had done it once again, I had the chance to interview Director Ron Howard about everything from coming on board the film to why we have his wife to thank for his involvement to how he feels going up against his daughter in the Summer Box Office race!
What has been the most daunting or scary part in taking on Star Wars?
I think that just the responsibility of the cast- especially Alden Ehrenreich. It’s really such a daunting challenge. I knew that there would be a lot of judgement surrounding him and his performance. But he’s such a cool customer. And he wore the responsibility very well. But I know it was something that really meant a lot to him.
I had talked to Harrison, oh, about a week ago. He had seen the movie and I had told Alden, “Harrison really loved what you did. He respected it.” But he, of course, couldn’t announce that to anybody because no one speaks for Harrison Ford but Harrison Ford. And so it was amazing today that he surprised us and showed up- and really surprised Alden.
{Note: This happened just minutes before we interviewed Alden Ehrenreich! For that interview, click here.}
So speaking of Harrison Ford, did you have to walk a fine line of Harrison Ford’s Han Solo in creating a new, younger version with Alden?
It was all about taking inspiration from Harrison. I think Alden thought a little bit about the body language, that’s a sort of subtle almost subliminal link you can create for the characters.
When I did {for National Geographic} Genius: Einstein, and Geoffrey Rush was playing the older Albert Einstein and Johnny Flynn was playing the younger- one of the things that they did was they spent some time together to work out some physical traits and some body language choices that the younger Einstein could use that, he would then reverberate with the older Einstein. I thought that was a good idea for this. Alden, of course, had already thought about it.
But you also have Larry Kasdan who has written for the iconic Han Solo played by Harrison so many times. That, that phrasing, those rhythms- it was there for Alden to develop, so that it was not only right for the character but sort of familiar for audiences.
So can you tell us about when you got the phone call?
Well it really came out of a conversation that I was having with Kathy Kennedy [President of Lucasfilm] It was just a scheduled breakfast appointment that I had with her. I was in London meeting with other writers for Imagine Entertainment projects and working on things. And she’s a friend, and I knew she was there and I’d booked this breakfast with her. And she called and asked if Larry Kasdan could come. She didn’t tell me why. And when I got there, John Kasdan was there as well. And I thought, I wonder what they wanna talk about? Some other future Star Wars movie, maybe? It’s not what the conversation was supposed to be about. It was just a hello. And about halfway through, it just sort of came out.
He said, “Would you ever consider coming in and taking over?” And I said, “Well, it’s very flattering but I can’t imagine that I would. I don’t think so.” I urged them to reconsider and think about it, and they said they had already made their decision, they knew they were gonna make a change.
And it went from there. I read the script and I was so compelled by that script. It answered the questions of what a young Han Solo’s life experiences might be that would shape him, form him, push him toward that iconic figure that we would know later. And did it in ways that surprised me. And so it was really satisfying and logical. But it also had these twists and turns that were unexpected in my mind, and I thought, well that’s a great jumping off place.
I knew what a fantastic cast it was. And over a period of about three days, I began to weigh it and at a certain point, my wife, Cheryl, we were talking about it. And she said, I know you pretty well and I think you’re gonna be disappointed if you don’t do this.
I thought she was right, as she most always is.
You did an amazing job at capturing that Star Wars type of flare to it. Were there any barriers that you saw along the way?
There are challenges. I think what I did discover is that the reason that these Star Wars movies kinda resonate with us and we see them more than once, often, is because they entertain you in so many different ways. And I didn’t realize that as a fan. But when I was directing the scenes, I realized that’s a real challenge. You’ve got action elements. You’ve got sci-fi elements that are very particular to this galaxy. You’ve got this blend of humanity and humor and drama and then these deeper bigger themes that are really relateable classic themes. It’s like playing three dimensional chess to direct these scenes. And I think that when the harmonics are right, it creates this sort of range of ways that the movies entertain you.
But it’s a real challenge. So I recognized and respected the movies that came before me all the more when I realized how complicated it was. So it was a challenge but it was fun, and fun to do. George Lucas had said to me, “Just trust your instincts, I think you’re gonna find you’re comfortable in this filmmaking style.” And he was right. I fell into it easily. I loved the cast- really creative, cool, young, smart cast. And loved working with the Kasdans. Believed in their story.
There’s one thing I just like to, love to remind people of, or tell them. Because I didn’t know it until very late in the process but it made sense to me when I heard it. And that was that, this story was hatched before Disney acquired Lucasfilm and came up with this sort of business plan to do more Star Wars movies. It was a conversation that Kathy Kennedy and George Lucas had with Larry Kasden, basically picking his brain and saying beyond the saga movies, what else do you think would be interesting for fans and creatively exciting? And Larry and George just instantly felt and agreed that it was young Han Solo.
So this has been a story that Larry’s been wanting to tell for a while, and the studio wanted to initially commit to the saga movies which they did. But Larry kept saying, well I really do believe in young Han Solo. So that’s really how it happened, before there were any directors involved or anything.
You’re known for putting personal touches into your films. Is Solo is also part of that? And did you have any Arrested Development Easter eggs?
Well, the answer is no Arrested Development Easter eggs. But, Mitch Horowitz, in creating season five- which is coming out May 29th, by the way- he’d planned some Star Wars stuff for George Michael. To be wearing a Darth Vader helmet and playing around with a light saber and things like that. And he was gonna have to ask for clearance. And once I knew that I was coming in, I called Mitch and I said, “I think I’m gonna be able to get you clearance now.”
So the answer is no there. Warrick was already cast. I was really delighted to know that I was gonna have a reunion with Warrick. He’s really a friend. He’s a great guy. He’s a terrific family man. Woody Harrelson was also already cast and he was somebody that I worked with. Michael K. Williams was cast in the role that Paul Bettany ultimately played, but one of the things that the producers wanted to do was really change the design of that entire sequence. I agreed and it meant a hundred percent reshoot and a rethink of the character that Williams was playing, and he wasn’t available. So once we realized he couldn’t do it, I turned to Paul Bettany- who I’ve directed in The Da Vinci Code and A Beautiful Mind. And he’s so versatile and so creative. And he brought a lot to this Dryden Vos character.
So you’re a very proud father. And this, you know, small movie is coming out this summer [Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, starring Bryce Dallas Howard, Ron’s daughter.] Is there a lot of competition for the Box Office?
Well, it’s hard not to root for your daughter. I think, either way, we’re in a very fortunate position. This whole exerience of being a part of Star Wars and this summer’s movie lineup was so unexpected. And once we realized that our movies were coming out, what, a month apart or something like that, I don’t know.
It’s kinda like a gift, I suppose. You work at something that you love. I give 110% to everything that I do. Some things click, some things not as much. And I just love it as a lifestyle, our way of life. And I’ve felt very rewarded by this opportunity and I hope fans feel really good about the movie because these movies are made for the fans. And I certainly was very much in agreement with that and working for the fans in this particular instance.
[THE FORCE AWAKENS SPOILER BELOW]
So, when Han Solo dies in The Force Awakens, how did that affect how you directed this film?
Well, I thought it was very powerful in that movie. And it also reflected the kind of complexity and the thematic ideas that I think give the Star Wars movies their lasting value. It’s fun. It’s playful. It’s exciting. But it also has these themes that are complicated and run deep, you know? And in its own playful way, I think Solo asks some of those questions of what’s it like in those more sort of moral gray areas?
And when your survival is at stake and you’re presented with choices that you might not necessarily be proud of- and it’s not just the Han Solo character, it’s a number of characters. This is a story about young people who are really on a quest for their freedom. And they’re struggling for that. And in very difficult oppressive times. And in a really challenging corner of the galaxy. So I think sort of knowing the outcome gives the story of young Han Solo even more power and more weight. And I think in many ways makes you even more curious about what might have made him tick, what makes him tick.
About the movie:
Board the Millennium Falcon and journey to a galaxy far, far away in “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” an all-new adventure with the most beloved scoundrel in the galaxy. Through a series of daring escapades deep within a dark and dangerous criminal underworld, Han Solo befriends his mighty future copilot Chewbacca and meets the notorious gambler Lando Calrissian, in a journey that will set the course of one of the Star Wars saga’s most unlikely heroes.
Be sure to check out my other Solo: A Star Wars Story coverage, including an interview with the new Han, Alden Ehrenreich, and new character Qi’ra {Emilia Clarke}, my no-spoilers review, and my experience from the world premiere!
