Adam Driver has had a pretty remarkable career trajectory up to this point: hitting the Law & Order circuit before breaking out as the ugly guy on Girls and landing films for the likes of Noah Baumbach, the Coen Brothers and Martin Scorsese. And we can’t forget two Oscar nods to his credit. But to many, he’ll always be the guy that murdered one of the greatest characters in sci-fi history, Han Solo. And yes, Adam Driver still gets reminded of that by Star Wars fans.
Appearing on Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace (as per IndieWire), Adam Driver noted that his initial outing as Kylo Ren in Star Wars: The Force Awakens gave him a difficult task in offing his old man, something he is hounded about even eight years after its release. “Somebody reminds me about that everyday…Not every day but yeah, it used to be more but now it’s probably once a month somewhere.” It’s undoubtedly an emotional scene and a key to Kylo Ren’s development, but one wonders if maybe a funeral could have given fans some peace?
Adam Driver also commented on the dramatic heft surrounding that immediately iconic Star Wars moment. “Obviously, John Williams’ [score] wasn’t playing in the background and it was very emotional actually, shooting it with Harrison. Harrison was so generous and contemplative and to me that was a great moment on set, even though it was his death.” As we now know, Harrison Ford wanted Han Solo killed off during the original trilogy, but George Lucas rejected the idea because he thought he’d sell fewer action figures.
Adam Driver has expressed a mild interest in returning to the Star Wars franchise, but if you harm a single hair on Chewie, so help us…In the meantime, Driver has proven himself to be a bonafide draw, continuing his many collaborations with Baumbach and also teaming with the likes of Ridley Scott, Michael Mann and Francis Ford Coppola for his forthcoming Megalopolis.
Where does Han Solo’s death scene rank in the most memorable Star Wars scenes? How did Adam Driver handle the role of Kylo Ren? Give us your thoughts below!