- A Really Strong Supporting Cast
Harrison Ford has not been the most consistent performer as of late. He’s really, genuinely great in The Force Awakens, but one needn’t go back very far to find a performance that feels as if it was delivered at gun point. Part of it definitely comes down to Ford’s interest in the project and how much he’s engaging with the material, but as with any actor, a big part of it comes down to the quality of the other actors he’s playing off of. Ford does great work with Chadwick Boseman in 42, he’s solid alongside Viola Davis and Asa Butterfield in the otherwise not very good Ender’s Game, and he’s, of course, terrific working with Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, and Adam Driver in The Force Awakens.
Not only will a strong supporting cast bring out the best in Ford, but if we’re staring reality square in the face, Ford will be 76 before this movie comes out. The worst sequence in The Force Awakens (the “rathtar piss break” as a friend of mine calls it) also happens to be the most action-heavy scene Han Solo participates in. No disrespect, Ford is in better shape at at 73 than I can probably ever hope to be, but surrounding him with younger actors who can do the heavy lifting in the action department is probably for the best
I’m not sure how many existing characters could realistically return for this – Sallah is the only one that seems even remotely likely – but either way, it would behoove them to take a page from the Star Wars playbook and invest in an exciting new faces to go along with the old favorites.
