Summary

• Charlie Cox failed his Han Solo audition due to habits he developed playing Matt Murdock on Daredevil.
• Cox would've brought his charisma, emotion, and range to the Star Wars franchise.
• Despite Cox's potential, Alden Ehrenreich captured the essence of Han Solo's character.

Star Wars projects, and one of them would have been Charlie Cox had he not failed his audition. Best known for playing Matt Murdock in the hit 2015 series Daredevil and subsequent Marvel Cinematic Universe projects, Cox believes he was one of many actors considered to play Han in Solo: A Star Wars Story. He was brought in for a "super secretive" audition and was "pretty sure it was for the Han Solo reboot."

Unfortunately, while playing Daredevil may have been great for Cox's career, it ended up preventing him from playing Han Solo. Cox was asked halfway through the audition why he wasn't looking at the casting director, realizing he had formed a bad habit during his time on Daredevil. Because Matt Murdock is a blind character, Cox was used to not making eye with other actors. Cox believes that this was the primary reason he wasn't called back, and the role of Han Solo went to Alden Ehrenreich.

Charlie Cox Would've Been The Perfect Han Solo

An actor with impressive range and charisma

Despite his audition saying otherwise, Charlie Cox would have been a great Han Solo if he had been cast. Matt Murdock was generally a serious, straight-faced character in Daredevil, but Cox has an impressive range that would have translated perfectly to Han Solo. Cox not only looks and sounds the part but can be charismatic on command, an essential quality for anyone playing the captain of the Millennium Falcon.

Cox not only looks and sounds the part but can be charismatic on command, an essential quality for anyone playing the captain of the Millennium Falcon.

Most importantly, Cox proved that he was an incredibly emotional actor, perfectly conveying Matt Murdock's devastating pain when necessary. Because Solo: A Star Wars Story focused on a younger Han Solo losing people he cared about and making difficult choices, Cox would have been well-suited for these moments. He could also have returned to play Han in other Star Wars movies and TV shows, gradually aging the character to more closely resemble Harrison Ford.

Alden Ehrenreich Was Still The Right Choice

Perfectly embodying a young Han Solo

Charlie Cox may have been a good choice, but Alden Ehrenreich ultimately proved he was the right man to play Han Solo. Ehrenreich perfectly captured the essence of a young Han Solo while making the character his own, rather than simply doing an impersonation of Harrison Ford. Ehrenreich could easily switch between overconfidence, uncertainty, amusement, and pain, encapsulating every aspect of Han's character.

Ehrenreich is still willing to return to play Han Solo in another Star Wars project, and one of the movies set during the Mandalorian era would be perfect. He would play an older version of the character more closely associated with Harrison Ford, so it would be fascinating how he differentiates his performance from Solo: A Star Wars Story. While Alden Ehrenreich was the right actor to play Han Solo, it's still fun to imagine an alternate timeline with Charlie Cox in the Star Wars franchise.

Source: CBS News