10 Actors Who Turned Down Star Wars

The first of a trilogy of 'I could have been Han Solo' entries, Al Pacino had perhaps the best excuse for not taking the iconic role. Coming fresh off the mega success of the first two Godfather films and Dog Day Afternoon, Pacino was simply offered too many roles to take them all on.

Actors didn't come any bigger at the time than Pacino, and it's easy to see why Lucas would have wanted such a talent in his film. Pacino however wasn't convinced of this fact, believing Lucas only wanted him in the film for one reason. "I was in The Godfather. They didn’t care if I was right or wrong for the role, if I could act or not act." The half glass empty thoughts of Pacino are only half true, as while Lucas no doubt wanted to cash in on the star's fame, there's no doubt the actor would have been perfect as Han.

Another reason that Pacino stated for turning down the role was his initial confusion as to what the whole story was about. "I remember not understanding (the script) when I read it." This seems a particularly puzzling remark, considering the complexity of the films Pacino had starred in prior to A New Hope.

All hopes of Pacino appearing in a Star Wars film however are not lost, with the actor stating that "Anything's possible" while telling of his love for another Sci-Fi franchise, the Guardians of the Galaxy. Fingers crossed!