Star Wars Story: Han Solo Movie 2018 Spoiler Thread

[DaneMcCloud]

http://www.starwars.com/news/donald-...and-alone-film

Donald Glover is officially a young Lando Calrissian!

Lucasfilm announced today that Donald Glover, an acclaimed actor, award-winning writer, and Grammy-nominated artist, will be playing the part of Lando Calrissian in the still-untitled Han Solo Star Wars film, helmed by directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. Glover will join Alden Ehrenreich — previously cast as Han Solo — in bringing two iconic Star Wars characters back to the big screen, but at a time in their lives previously unexplored. This new film depicts Lando in his formative years as a scoundrel on the rise in the galaxy’s underworld — years before the events involving Han, Leia, and Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back and his rise to Rebel hero in Return of the Jedi.

“We’re so lucky to have an artist as talented as Donald join us,” said Lord and Miller. “These are big shoes to fill, and an even bigger cape, and this one fits him perfectly, which will save us money on alterations. Also, we’d like to publicly apologize to Donald for ruining Comic-Con for him forever.”

Glover is best known for creating and starring in the critically acclaimed FX series Atlanta (which had the highest premiere numbers for any basic cable comedy show since 2013), as well as for starring in four seasons of the show Community, and for his Grammy-nominated album Because the Internet, performed under the name Childish Gambino. In addition, Glover appeared in the Academy Award-nominated The Martian, and will be seen in the upcoming Spider-Man: Homecoming.

The untitled Han Solo movie is set for release in 2018.

[Frazod]

I guess the main question here is does the love interest die or **** him over.

[ShiftyEyedWaterboy]

Really loving the visual aspects of what I’ve seen so far.

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by Frazod

I guess the main question here is does the love interest die or **** him over.

I think that since she's described as a "Femme Fatale", she ****s him over, which makes him more cynical.

[DaneMcCloud]

http://ew.com/movies/2018/02/07/harr...ar-wars-story/

Harrison Ford was a covert adviser to Solo: A Star Wars Story

“Tell them I told you everything you needed to know, and that you can’t tell anyone.”

That was Harrison Ford’s advice to Alden Ehrenreich, the man who would be Han, when they sat down for lunch in January of last year shortly before production began on Solo: A Star Wars Story. Ehrenreich, the 28-year-old actor best known for the Coen brothers’ Hail, Caesar!, dutifully remained tightlipped about the Star Wars veteran’s other guidance. There is honor among thieves. “I gotta stick to my orders from the man himself,” Ehrenreich says. But EW uncovered more intel about Ford’s involvement from other Star Wars sources who revealed that although the original Han kept a respectful distance, he did provide some vital insights into the character he has lived with, sometimes uncomfortably, for four decades.

Lucasfilm president and Solo producer Kathleen Kennedy, who has known Ford since their Raiders of the Lost Ark days, said she called the actor after his lunch with Ehrenreich. “It was perfect, classic Harrison,” Kennedy says, breaking into his signature low-key grumble. “‘Good kid, good kid. Really good kid.’” She had also sent Ford the script, which she said he read and gave a thumbs-up. “I think being who is Harrison is, there is no way he would step into the middle of this and start trying to dictate,” Kennedy says. But Ford is a living repository of knowledge about Han’s origins. He was the one George Lucas talked to about the character’s history and motivations, way back when they brought him to life in the 1977 original.

“What [Ford] did so beautifully for Alden was he talked a lot about what he remembered when he first read Star Wars, and what George had done with Han. Who the character was and the conversations he had for so many years with George about how that character developed,” Kennedy says. “He gave Alden that kind of insight which was invaluable. There were several times in the course of making the movie where Alden would actually recount some of the things that Harrison had pointed out. I think that was really, really helpful to him.”

When EW spoke to Ford in 2015 just before the release of The Force Awakens, his hypothetical guidance for the then-unchosen Young Han Solo was delivered with a shrug: “I would say, ‘Talk to your director. Watch the movies. And welcome aboard. Make it your own.’” How did he feel about someone else picking up the blaster? Ford smiled: “I never thought about it.”
When Howard took over the project amid the turmoil between Lucasfilm and original directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller, he also sought guidance from Han Solo’s originator.

It turns out Ford had considered it a lot since then.

“Harrison’s a very thoughtful actor and an artist, and I wanted to know what he learned about the character,” Howard says. “He said that Han is always torn between that sense that he was, in a way, an orphan, and therefore both yearned for connection with people and struggled with it at the same time. I thought that was pretty interesting.” There’s revelation No. 1 from Solo: The captain of the Millennium Falcon is just as cut off from his family as Luke and Leia, but he doesn’t have the loving surrogate mom and dad they had to give him a safe home. No Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen from Tatooine. No Bail Organa or Queen Breha from Alderaan. Instead, we will see Han as hardscrabble kid trying to make a name for himself in the underworld. Crime seems like a good living, especially after washing out of the Imperial Flight Academy. Solo’s goal is to achieve a bit of independence. He doesn’t want to rely on anybody. Or owe anyone. (Guess how both of those work out.) All of this stands as foreshadowing for The Force Awakens, and Solo’s curmudgeonly offer to make Rey first mate on his ship.

Screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan (The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi), who wrote Solo with his son Jon (The First Time), already had the story in mind when he worked on Awakens with J.J. Abrams. Han remembers being a young nobody. Hungry. Alone. In peril. It turns out, Ford had even more insight to share with Howard — mostly about how often Han finds himself in over his head, charging into situations without considering all the angles. (“Never tell me the odds!”) “Han has survived and proven that he can survive, but he’s never sure he’s as quite as smart as he needs to be,” Howard said, recalling their conversation. “Change that. He’s not really ‘smart.’ That’s not the word he used. Han’s not as on top of it as he needs to be. So he wants to give the appearance of [control], but in fact, he’s often scrambling. I think Harrison played that beautifully, and Alden and I talked about both of those ideas a lot.”

Even though he’s not technically involved in Solo, all of this is a window into Harrison Ford, too. He’ll roll his eyes over Star Wars, call Han “dumb as a stump,” and tell you he hasn’t given the character or this galaxy much thought. He’s forever trying insisting that none of it matters to him.

Just more proof, in case we needed it, that Harrison Ford really is Han Solo.

[DaneMcCloud]

http://ew.com/movies/2018/02/07/solo...ich-interview/

Solo Speaks: Alden Ehrenreich on creating a portrait of a scoundrel as a young man

Han Solo has a cold.

The deadline for EW’s cover on Solo: A Star Wars Story was approaching at light speed, and we still lacked a key component: Alden Ehrenreich, the 28-year-old actor who would be taking over the role of the overconfident space cowboy from Harrison Ford. Then, at the last second, he came through. Much like his onscreen anti-hero. Unable to speak due to a painful sore throat, the actor known for the Coen brothers’ comedy Hail, Caesar! connected via chat to absorb a volley of questions about the new Star Wars standalone film.

Fans have been on edge since the studio waited until after The Last Jedi to begin releasing details about the May 25 film, and it has been an overall bumpy ride on this movie. A change-up in directors midway through principal photography caused understandable handwringing, as Ron Howard stepped in to replace Chris Miller and Phil Lord amid production disagreements with Lucasfilm (more on that Friday). But for the Star Wars faithful, who are still mourning the end of an old friend they used to play with in the backyard (if action figures count), they just want to know: Does this movie get Han’s beginning right? Here’s a little insight into that question, from the man who’s bringing the galactic reprobate back to life.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Ron describes Solo as a film noir/western. Han is a hardscrabble kid trying to make a name for himself in the underworld, but his decency holds him back. That sound about right?

ALDEN EHRENREICH: Something like that, yes.

Tell me your perspective on it. How would you characterize the journey this character is on?: I think it tells the story of a young man pursuing a dream to get out of his pretty rough upbringing, and a lot of the story is him trying to make this dream come true and finding out that it’s a lot harder than he had imagined.

He seems like someone who didn’t have a lot of people who cared about him at a young age. So he goes through life with shields up. : Yeah, that’s all basically right. One of the fun things about this movie but also one of the things that really shapes him is that it takes place in a real dark underworld of the Star Wars universe.

Basically, gangland, right?: Yes, and other planets and environments as well that are tough in different ways.

I know you had lunch with Harrison to talk things over. : He’s great. He is a real gentleman, too.

Could share some of what he was able to tell you about playing this character?: He said a great thing when I met him. “Tell them I told you everything you needed to know, and that you can’t tell anyone.”

Yeah, but … You can tell me. [Eyebrow flash]: [Laughs] No, I gotta stick to my orders from the man himself.

All right. I respect that.: I wanted to meet him because I just felt generally it wouldn’t be right to do the movie without some kind of contact with him, and I’m really glad I did. He was very, very supportive. And it’s just cool to have lunch with Harrison Ford. [Note: EW has intel on Ford’s actual advice, coming later today.]

Let’s talk about the other people in this character’s life. Qi’ra, Emilia Clarke’s character, is a big part of young Han Solo’s early years. What do we need to know about the two of them? : Yeah, they’ve known each other for a long time and she’s a very important person in his life

Is she more savvy than he is? Less idealistic? How would you contrast their personalities?: I think she has a slightly different way of handling herself in this tough universe. She’s better at working the system rather than bucking against it

Solo also meets Chewbacca for the first time in this film, and Ron says it’s not an instant Love Connection. Wookiees take a lot of effort before trusting someone, right? : Well, I think with anyone you meet in these tough worlds, trust doesn’t come easily, and both of them are very strong willed.

What’s Joonas like? I feel like articles never talk about him because he’s behind the furry mask.: Joonas is a really funny guy, and he also brings a lot to the role. It’s clear when you’re up close and seeing him do it just how much Wookiee craft he really has to do, knowing how to move in the suit to convey the right things. He’s got a big heart and is a great guy.

That brings us to Lando. Will this movie show us their first encounter, or does Han know him already from years past?: Han and Lando meet in this film. And I meet L3.

Are they … rivals? Friends? Enemies? Something in between?: That’s very hard to answer without giving things away, but I will say that their relationship is many different things. As it is when you see them in the originals.

It’s Complicated. That would be their Facebook status.: [Laughs] I think they have very different styles

Han is rougher around the edges?: You saw the Falcon! I think they have very different styles. But maybe aren’t too dissimilar in their personalities.

Can you give us a sense of what Han is like when we meet him at the start of the movie. Obviously, we see him evolve. What’s different from the guy we know?: I think the main thing that’s different is that the Han we meet in this film is more of an idealist, he has certain dreams that he follows, and we watch how it affects him as those dreams meet new realities, realities that are harder and more challenging than he’d expected.

Can you say what his dream is? I assume it’s bigger than “smuggler.”: I can’t say exactly, but it definitely involves independence, and calling your own shots. I thought the Kasdans did a wonderful job of kind of retroactively coming up with what kind of background would lead him to becoming the character we all know.

Can you explain “independence”? Do you mean, he just wants to call his own shots — or is he indentured in some way?: Well, one thing that you kind of know about the Star Wars universe, but that you learn in a much more impactful way as you get into it, is that living in that universe is hard. Most people, especially during the reign of the Empire, are under the control of some kind of force or another. No pun intended. Having the resources and stability to call your own shots, do what you want, have freedom, isn’t something that comes easily. So Han’s dream involves making that happen for himself.

Seems like he is forever trying to get out from under someone’s thumb. … Does Jabba have thumbs?: [Laughs] Yeah, I think you could say that. He is forever trying to do that.

[Frazod]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

I think that since she's described as a "Femme Fatale", she ****s him over, which makes him more cynical.

She could **** him over and then die. You never know.

[Sweet Daddy Hate]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

I think that since she's described as a "Femme Fatale", she ****s him over, which makes him more cynical.

The last Solo trilogy which was written before the Disney scorch had Han involved with a love interest who screwed him over in the end on a large stolen booty-grab involving Lando, which she used to fund the rebel operation to successfully steal the first Death Star plans.

The last paragraph of the final book, before the prologue, had her thinking of Han as she used her last minute of life and strength to send the transmission signal to a "wayward" blockade-runner that just happened to come out of hyperspace in the middle of a full-scale space battle before quickly jumping to its next set of coordinates...

[Sure-Oz]

Originally Posted by Gadzooks

Doppelganger definition: an apparition or double of a living person

Heard he played a younger version of Ford's character in Age of Adeline movie and he's been the voice of joker in Telltale's Batman games. Def looks like Ford

[DaneMcCloud]

http://ew.com/movies/2018/02/09/solo...-paul-bettany/

Rogue's Gallery: A lineup of three outlaws from Solo: A Star Wars Story

Now for a look at some unusual suspects. Obviously, any story about the origins of Han Solo must be populated with unsavory characters from the galactic underworld. With Solo: A Star Wars Story, out May 25, we have three treacherous figures — at least — who fill out his rogue’s gallery.

Tobias Beckett — played by Woody Harrelson

“Well, he really shapes Han really more than anybody, as Han comes to realize that in a lawless time he needs to try to come to terms with some kind of moral code,” says director Ron Howard. Screenwriters Lawrence and Jon Kasdan both re-read Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island before diving into the script, looking to create a similar mentor/apprentice relationship to the pirate Long John Silver and young Jim Hawkins. In that story, Silver was a scoundrel who had been around nefarious circles for a while, but without any great success to his name. “He is a very tough criminal,” Lawrence Kasdan says of Beckett. “And, as you might think with Woody, who has enormous humanity, it’s not just that.” Howard says Beckett is “such a charismatic character.” And he does have a soft spot, choosing not to end this wannabe smuggler to tries to ingratiate himself. “Han sort of forces himself into Woody’s life,” Lawrence Kasdan says. “It starts a relationship that has enormous impact on what kind of person Han will be.”

Val — played by Thandie Newton

This character is a little more mysterious. We don’t have a lot of information about her, except that she carries a massive blaster that’s only slightly more intimidating that her scowl. “She’s tied to Beckett, that’s how Han meets Val,” says Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy. “They’ve been partners a long time.” Jon Kasdan calls Val “part of the criminal family that Han gets involved in.” She’s not impressed with the Corellian pilot. “I will say at first glance, doesn’t necessarily have total faith in Han — as a lot of people he meets in his life tend to feel about him,” Jon Kasdan says. “She’s a little skeptical of this kid when she meets him. And her relationship with him goes in, I think, an … interesting direction.” The filmmakers weren’t going any further into what that might mean.

Dryden Vos — played by Paul Bettany

Here’s the successful crime boss. The Godfather. The debonair and sophisticated hoodlum. We’ve seen the sleazy take on a gangland chief with Jabba the Hutt, but Vos will give us the handsome version of a figure who has found great success by breaking the rules — but isn’t the kind to get his hands dirty. “It’s a sort of combination of class and swagger and real danger which I think is a fun thing, and he absolutely inhabits it,” says Jon Kasdan. “He’s way deeper in the crime world than anyone else that we meet in the movie.”

While Tobias Beckett is immersed in the underworld, too, “they’re just in slightly different places,” Jon says. “Much like a movie like Layer Cake where you see a Albert Finney type of character who’s a little more advanced.” The galactic crime realm isn’t a place where people concern themselves with titles, though. “There’s no hierarchy,” Jon Kasdan says. “There are some that are in power, and there’s some that are scrambling to stay alive.” The part was originally to be played by Michael K. Williams, who had lethal panache as the crime boss Chalky White in Boardwalk Empire, but when shooting on Solo was extended after Howard took over during the director shake-up Williams was already committed to another project and had to be replaced. Vos is a familiar name to Star Wars diehards, since Quinlan Vos was a Jedi featured on The Clone Wars animated series (and a background figure in The Phantom Menace.) But, sorry, Lucasfilm says the similar last names are just coincidence.

The makers of Solo wouldn’t confirm any other potential villains, but fans have been speculating for some time about the shadow in the back of that picture Howard tweeted of him and Bettany when the actor wrapped production. Back corner, to the left. The shape of what looks like … a familiar helmet. Or is that just a trick of the eye?

It’s not like a certain bounty hunter to hide in plain sight, right?

[DaneMcCloud]

[DaneMcCloud]

http://ew.com/movies/2018/02/08/star...bridges-droid/

Phoebe Waller-Bridge's Solo character is a self-made droid with moxie

“I think they’re both kind of self-made. And they get each other in that way.” That’s how Donald Glover described Lando Calrissian’s relationship with his partner droid L3-37 in Solo: A Star Wars Story. He’s speaking metaphorically about his galactic gambler character — but he means it literally about the robot. The droid played via motion-capture by Fleabag star Phoebe Waller-Bridge belongs to no one and has constructed herself over the years, building upon and adjusting her original design. “She’s a self-modified droid,” says Jon Kasdan (The First Time), who co-wrote the script with his father, Lawrence (veteran scribe of The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, and The Force Awakens.) “The idea is that she’s sort of a mutt, if you will, of various parts of different kinds of droids who has improved upon herself.”

That’s why the head floating above her shoulders like a mechanical jellyfish looks a little like the dome on a primitive BB unit, while her chest and shoulders have an R2/Astromech influence. (Her name, too, is a reference to “LEET” or “l337,” which is the practice of substituting numerals for letters in words.) “She’s a complete individual in the galaxy,” Jon Kasdan says. “We wanted to have it be a completely different kind of droid than you’ve ever seen in the movies. And we definitely wanted it to be a female. We thought it was more than time for that.”

What Emilia Clarke says of her enigmatic character Qi’ra also applies to L3: “Han Solo is only surrounded by strong women.”

Waller-Bridge is the star and creator of Amazon’s Fleabag, the story of a single British woman who is barely holding her life together (pictured above). It’s a showcase for her fearless and awkward sense of humor, and a lot of her personality will come through in the droid. “She has a working relationship with Lando, and it’s very sophisticated and informed by years of working together,” says Lawrence Kasdan. “And, Phoebe, herself, is hilarious. The effect that she will appear in is amazing, but she comes through very strongly even with this astounding [CGI], both her humor and her physicality. If you meet Phoebe, she’s one of these people you just fall in love with immediately.” While we haven’t heard her speak yet as L3, the makers of Solo say her character’s comic relief doesn’t come from being a stick in the mud — like C-3PO and K-2SO from Rogue One could sometimes be. And she’s not quite the walking disaster of her Fleabag character. L3 is way more put together, so to speak.

“Her AI is way up there in terms of IQ,” says director Ron Howard. “She’s capable of some pretty interesting conversations. And Phoebe is hilarious and brilliant and really helped bring that character to life in ways that are funny and surprising.” Can you imagine Threepio being cool enough to have a secret handshake-style salute with Lando? “She’s an absolute engine, not just for comedy, but for point of view, and she’s got a very strong personality,” says Jon Kasdan, who said he and his father based her on people they knew. “Much like women in my life and Larry’s life that have just made their will known to us, she isn’t subservient. L3 is subservient to no one, which is a fun kind of droid to write.”

[DaneMcCloud]

[Hammock Parties]

Finally saw the trailer on my 32" monitor at home.

****ing spectacular.

I don't really buy Alden's voice as Solo (I'm sure they could deepen it, but altering it in post would be a slap in the face) but if he nails the rest of the role it's fine. LOVE Glover's big cheesy grins as Lando. He is going to nail this role so hard Billy Dee will be jealous.

I definitely buy the underworld their selling and I'll bet money that's Boba Fett in pre-Mandalorian getup as the villain. Or maybe his boss.

Pretty stoked for this.

[DaneMcCloud]

http://ew.com/movies/2018/02/08/emil...ar-wars-story/

Emilia Clarke says her Star Wars femme fatale 'has a core of steel'

Game of Thrones fans know her as Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen, rightful heir to the Iron Throne, rightful Queen of the Andals and the First Men, Protector of the Seven Kingdoms, the Mother of Dragons, the Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, the Unburnt, the Breaker of Chains. Star Wars fans will come to know Emilia Clarke only as: Qi’ra. This is a character who doesn’t want her full resume out there. She’s a woman of shadows, of secrecy. She’s a woman of many identities, the truest ones hidden away and only visible to those she trusts, which may be no one. She’s also one of the primary forces that shape the young smuggler we meet in Solo: A Star Wars Story. As part of Entertainment Weekly’s cover story about the May 25 movie, we caught up with Clarke to discuss what we need to know about this galactic femme fatale.

Sounds like a busy time, so thanks for talking to me about Qi’ra. She and Han Solo go back to their childhoods, so can you characterize the setup of their relationship?

Well, they grew up as comrades, essentially. They grew up as pals, as partners in crime. There is obviously the romantic side of things. But they grew up together. So they were kids together. And the beautiful thing about this Han Solo story is it’s highlighting all of the most brilliant aspects of Han Solo the character and characterizing those aspects in characters that he meets on his journey to becoming who he is.

These people all represent different sides of who he becomes?

That’s kind of the story, really. You are seeing all of these different elements that make up who he is through the people and the interactions and the relationships just as we all do as human beings. We are simply the embodiment of our experiences, essentially.

They’re guiding him, inspiring him. Maybe corrupting him?

You see the beginnings of him, this loveable rogue. You get it fine-tuned throughout these relationships, and Qi’ra is one of those relationships that has an impact on him as a character. I mean, hopefully [laughs] — if I have done my job. And within that relationship, the thing that that you see with Qi’ra is that she an enigma.

So through her, he learns not to show his cards to people.

She is a little bit of a tough one to get a hold of, really. There is this underlying joy in an origin story because you know where they end up. And Qi’ra is nowhere to be seen, so … something has happened! [Laughs] You know what I mean?

The film will give us a reason why he doesn’t talk about her?

Something must happened to affect him as a person, but for us fans not to know about her. Twists happen, and there is this great idea of trust — and who do you trust and how do you trust? And which side of the tracks are either character from — or going to?

The filmmakers described her as a femme fatale in this movie that is partly a film noir.

It is. Mystery. There is a thing throughout the relationship you just can’t put your finger on. And that’s Qi’ra. Every time you think you have got her number you realize you haven’t at all. [Laughs] Which is really hard to play. The goal is that the shadow of Qi’ra is there in Han as a character that we know. This girl is another texture that makes up who he is when we first meet him.

Is there pressure to make a movie like this match up with the ones that came before?

The joy of this movie is, it’s like we’re the kids at the back of the bus. Do you know what I mean? Like everybody else is doing the big stuff and we’re just kind of making this stupid, cool, really funny, weird movie and no one’s looking. All the Star Wars films have got, obviously, a beautiful flavor of humor in them, but this … this gets to be Han Solo funny, which is not the comic interlude — the comic interlude is it.

Qi’ra and Han knew each other long ago, so are they being reunited in this movie?

I think that’s something you should wait to discover. I don’t want to say. I don’t want to start saying anything that might get me fired, or just write me out of the movie. [Laughs]

I doubt they would do that at this point. What is Qi’ra doing when we first encounter her? From the trailer, they are in a speeder trying to escape some stormtroopers.

The point where you meet her, she is with Han. They are both doing what they’ve got to do to survive. And that is Qi’ra the whole the movie. The whole way through, she is surviving. And surviving in the underworld that we know to be [filled with] smuggling, aloof gamblers, wrong-side-of-the-tracks nasty ones. It was beautiful they touched on it very briefly [in The Last Jedi] when they are at the racetracks. Do you remember and they were talking about what that world is?

On Canto Bight, where they were talking about the ugliness behind the money and power?

And that’s our world. I mean it’s not the racetracks, and not Canto Bight. But we have the main storyline talk about what the smuggling, gambling black market world is like. It’s dangerous and it’s sordid and it’s ugly, and it’s really, really dark. There are loads of different gangster-y elements running through it. It has been really fun to put Qi’ra in that. She has a couple of guises, but essentially she is just fighting to stay alive.

From the look of her, the elegant gowns and capes, I would have assumed this is somebody who is thriving. She looks wealthy.

Well, if you have got a really glamorous lady in a really sordid environment you kind of know that maybe the glamour is hiding a few rough roads.

We’re seeing a lot of strong women in the Star Wars movies now, with Rey, Jyn Erso, Rose, Phasma, Ahsoka, Padme, Holdo, and others now standing alongside Leia. Does Qi’ra fit into that tradition of strong warrior women?

Oh hella yeah. [Laughs] I am never going to take a job that doesn’t tell that story, because I think it’s a very important narrative that we are telling all ages at all stages. And whilst it is Han Solo’s movie, this girl gets to be badass. And strong. And has her own journey. Qi’ra’s journey is definitely one of survival and strength. The way that I felt about her was yeah this girl has got a core of steel.

As the dad of a little girl who loves Star Wars, I’m glad there are a lot of strong women for her to choose from. A lot of variety now.

Very much. And there is a female presence to this movie. Han Solo is only surrounded by strong women. He doesn’t know any woman who doesn’t stand up for herself, has got game and chops and intelligence and wit. Those are the only women in his life. And then he meets Leia, so it all kind of falls into place.

[DaneMcCloud]

http://ew.com/movies/2018/02/08/dona...ar-wars-story/

Donald Glover on charming the hell out of Solo: A Star Wars Story

Impresario.

If you had to choose one word to describe the multifaceted Lando Calrissian, card shark and grifter turned baron of the gas-mining operation at Cloud City, that’s probably the best you can do. He’s a man who makes things happen. It’s also not a bad way to describe Donald Glover, the actor, comedian, writer, director, singer, rapper, and DJ who portrays the smooth galactic operator in Solo: A Star Wars Story. Lando has always been a bit of a con man, but Glover only steals scenes. He didn’t even say anything in the new trailer, and already fans are swooning for Childish Landino. Glover also got some key insights from original actor Billy Dee Williams, particularly about what it was like to be an icon of representation back when he was the one and only major character of color. Just a few days after he performed at the Grammys and took home a best traditional R&B trophy for “Redbone,” Glover let EW pick his brain about the Star Wars character who’s so cool, he needs a galaxy full of capes to stay comfortable.

I’m interested in what you were able to discover from Billy Dee Williams when you met with him. What was it like with two Landos getting together?

It was really, really relaxed. He was great. I mean, I had a lot of questions. And then he just told me, just be charming. [Laughs] And so, I was like, “Okay!” I just kind of did that. He said, “Just be interested in things.” Lando has, I wouldn’t say eccentric, but eclectic tastes. So I tried to work that into the role as much as possible.

What was it you were curious about, since you said you came in with a lot of questions?

I just wanted to know, Star Wars was such a big deal and then they make the second one and you’re kind of the first and the almost only black guy in the universe at that point. I was like, How did you go into that? What were your thoughts? It’s always a big thing when you break a mold. What was the thought process of that? He gave some good advice about this, about being yourself as much as possible, making the character a real person, rather than the whole identity for a whole group of people.

In the film, you’re paired with Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s character, L3-37, how would you describe their relationship?

I think they are both kind of self-made, and they get each other that way. It’s lovingly contentious. I don’t know if me and Phoebe were like this because I just love her. Being in a movie with her is kind of a blessing I didn’t even know I wanted. But she also is so smart she calls me out on it. It’s just cool to have somebody like that around, you know? Really funny and really honest.

We see the Millennium Falcon under Lando’s ownership and it is a very different looking ship. What do you think the Falcon reveals about who Lando is?

He’s a very particular person with particular tastes and he likes the comforts of life. I would live in it right now, to be honest! [Laughs] In between takes, they’d be like, “Okay, we are going to set up for the next shot , so you can go sit in your chair or whatever,” and I’d be like, “Actually I’ll just stay in Lando’s room.” It was that nice! I would just lay in his bed and read a book or write something because it is very comfortable. I think he likes to be comfortable. He’s not a cowboy kind of guy.

How would you define Lando’s personality as a younger guy? How do he and Han differ?

He likes to know his way in and out of any situation that he’s in. Lando likes rules because he’s somebody who is in a position to benefit from rules.

By getting around them?

He’s smart enough to figure out a way to like get out of things, like loopholes, And I think Han is more of a rule breaker and he can kind of get away with it.

Tell me about the costumes, the guy is a snappy dresser. What do the clothes say about the man?

Lando’s not really the best dressed person on that set. And I don’t say that lightly. There’s just a lot of cool costumes and a lot of cool clothing. Lando’s clothing, that’s what I like. I was secretly super happy. His clothing is another spice of life. He takes pride in the clothing. It makes things easier. When people see you and you’re debonair, they tend to want to give you stuff easier. [Laughs]

They trust you a little more, it adds to the charisma.

Yeah, people are like, oh, this guy’s got it together. He’s obviously not starving, you know. He has enough leisure time to choose a nice outfit.

One of the images we have is you playing cards and a little two-headed alien sitting beside you. Can you tell me anything about this scene?

Yeah, we are playing a game of sabacc. And that character, I mean, I had a good time with that character. We improv’d a lot together actually. She doesn’t speak English so it’s a little hard, but I had a fun time with those [puppeteers], they are really good. Probably some really good outtakes on set.

When you do improv with a creature, is it just a one-sided telephone conversation, like Bob Newhart used to do?

Oh no, no. It’s actually not. It’s way different. First of all there’s two people working that thing, so you have two minds going back and forth and they are super expressive, the puppeteers are super expressive. So you will have a conversation, and you’re reading them. It’s not like a baby where they are in their own world. They know exactly what you are seeing and their reaction actually means something.

You got guidance from Billy Dee, but how would you say you made Lando your own? What did you contribute to this galactic operator?

I always like seeing younger characters when they are in younger times because it tells a lot about how they got to where they are. Like, when I was a teenager I felt like I knew a lot, but I didn’t. By the time we meet him in Empire Strikes Back, he owns the city already. [Laughs] So, I wanted to show the person he was before that was even possible. Like, I don’t even know if he thought that was possible at the time.

So he’s a little less together?

I think he’s probably a little more over the top because he’s not old enough to be like, you don’t have to push so hard by the time you own the city. By then he’s like, I don’t need to prove anything to anybody, you know?