Kingsman and Rocketman star Taron Egerton revealed in a recent appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast (via Entertainment Weekly) that he was in the running to play Han Solo in Solo: A Star Wars Story, despite previously denying that there was any truth to the rumor. Speaking to host Josh Horowitz the Welsh Golden Globe winner explained that he took himself out of the running for the role.
Speaking openly about the process, Egerton revealed that he even made it onto the Millennium Falcon. "I'll be honest, I got on the Falcon. I was with Chewie. I was in the full costume, I felt like I got there, I did it, I lived it." This revelation is in stark contrast to his denials back in 2016 when he was promoting his film Eddie The Eagle. Speaking on The Jonathan Ross show in 2016 Egerton said "It's very, very flattering. I've no idea if there's any truth in it, but I mean, Lucasfilm, Disney, if there is, then you know where I am."
Even at the time, many didn't quite believe Egerton's denial, with photoshops of him in Solo's distinctive and beloved costume cropping up all over the internet. When asked why he decided to reveal just how close he came to starring in the project, Egerton stated that "It's far enough in the past now that I feel I can say that, I hope no one feels annoyed that I have said it." It turns out that Egerton ultimately decided that playing the role of Solo wasn't right for him saying that "I just didn't feel it."
Recently Edgerton has been spilling all his secrets, revealing to The New York Times that he has had conversations with Kevin Feige about taking on the role of Wolverine sometime in the future. Once again, Wolverine has been a role that Egerton has long been fan cast as, with mock-ups of the actor in the yellow spandex and trademark claws appearing online almost as soon as Hugh Jackman revealed he would be stepping away from the role.
Like Jackman, Egerton is also a singer and has voiced Johnny the gorilla in Sing and Sing 2 as well as his Golden Globe-winning performance as Elton John in the 2019 film Rocketman. Egerton and Jackman even worked together on Eddie The Eagle. Regardless of the fact that Egerton ultimately turned down the role of Han and is only on the radar to take up Wolverine's Adamantium claws, it must still be flattering to be considered for such iconic roles. Egerton can currently be seen in the mini-series Black Bird and is also starring in the upcoming movie adaptation of Tetris.
Source: Ew.com