There are actors who get cast into a role and then struggle to break free from similar characters for their entire careers. Woody Harrelson is not one of those actors. He has played all kinds of characters- good guys, bad guys, and everything in between. No matter what role he’s playing, you fully believe him as that character- and that holds true in his latest film, Solo: A Star Wars Story, where he plays Tobias Beckett.
It’s hard to tell you too much about Beckett without spoiling major plot points from the movie, but I can tell you more about Woody Harrelson! Read on for what he had to say about why he originally turned down the role, the famous actor who has been like a mentor for him, and more!
On how he ended up in the film- even though he turned down the role:
I was in London and I was shooting, I did this movie “Lost in London” which I wrote and directed and I did that just before. Then I was gonna go home and then they were like, “Well, we want you to meet these guys Phil and Chris about doing this film.” So I was like, “Okay, I was planning on going home but sure, let’s meet. We’ll talk.”
I felt like my family was tired of being told, “I’m definitely done after this”- and then… so I was scared. Then I met them- great guys- and then I did decide not to do it, ironically. Same with “Hunger Games,” same thing happened and the same Producer, Ali Schermer who’s an incredible lady who unfortunately passed shortly after we finished shooting, would not take no for an answer the first time and luckily, she didn’t take no the second time.
And the no wasn’t so much about being involved with this as I really did say I was gonna take time off, which I am doing now. Right after we finish the press on this, I’m gonna take the rest of the year off.
On the first time he saw Star Wars:
You probably won’t believe this but I was alive in 1977 and it was a huge thing at the time, like everybody was all about Star Wars. It became a sensation. I just remember going to see it and it’s so original, so different from anything else.
On his character, Tobias Beckett:
I think in some ways, he’s complicated in the sense that he’s not always as chummy as he could be but I’d say he’s a survivor who really also does have this image of wanting to be done with this life of criminality and ultimately, just be playing the valachord, living on a remote planet somewhere.
What is it about this character that sets it apart from any other character you’ve portrayed?
I wouldn’t say that far distant. I have played other scoundrels and thieves and criminals before- but none in Space.
On how he differs from his character:
He’s a bit of a hard ass, and he’s kind of tough on Han. I think it’s probably good if you’re gonna want to try to make someone into a very street smart survivor in that Universe, maybe that’s how he had to be. But I wouldn’t be like that. I mean, I can’t even discipline my own child. I don’t know how to do it because I always say to myself, “Well, I would do that, so how can I be telling her?”
On how he manages to always be smiling:
I do feel like a pretty genuinely happy person. And I think a big part of it is just gratitude. I’m very grateful for the life I have. I feel like all of us who do movies and probably all of you write about movies, we’re breathing a bit of a rarified air. And I feel really lucky because there was a point in which I kind of gave up. It was early on, I hadn’t even got a job yet and I just was like, I can’t do it, I don’t know how to crack it. And so gratitude.
On who he thinks of as his mentor:
I feel like to some degree, Jack Nicholson. He lives not far from where I have a place here in LA, even though I live in Maui but just the kids didn’t want to ever give it up. So I still have it and it’s not far from Jack’s and I would go over quite a bit to his place and sit and reason, and talk story, and he’s given a lot of cool advice.
On how Alden Ehrenreich [who plays Han Solo] is different than other actors:
Love Alden, awesome guy. Really had worker. I mean, very hard worker. There would be these humongous sets and then there would be these little spots that are like a little cloth room- you might have something to lay down on or a chair, make up, whatever. So we’d all have our little cubicles and then he was next to me and he’d be in there taking piano lessons. He’d be in there reading novels. I’m over there playing Speed Chess online.
I really admire his work ethic and I think just the way he cultivates himself as a human, he’s an extraordinary guy. He’s not just like a silly dopey party animal like some actors coming up or like I was coming up.
On what he wants his legacy to be:
I hope just generally, it’s a smiling type of legacy instead of a frowning type. I do prefer comedy and I’ve gotten into a little bit of a drama bubble. I would like to make people laugh and hopefully, they’ll think of me and laugh.
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.
Solo: A Star Wars Story is in theaters RIGHT NOW! You can also follow along on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram or by using the hashtag #HanSolo.
Be sure to check out my other Solo: A Star Wars Story coverage, including an interview with the new Han Solo, Alden Ehrenreich, new character Qi’ra {Emilia Clarke}, villain Dryden Vos {Paul Bettany}, Chewbacca {Joonas Suotamo}, new droid L3-37 {Phoebe Waller-Bridge}, and Director Ron Howard; my no-spoilers review, and my experience from the world premiere! And don’t miss these delicious and beautiful Solo: A Star Wars Story inspired Galaxy Cupcakes!
