A Star Wars Actor Had A Cringey First Encounter With Harrison Ford

Few franchises are larger than life like "Star Wars." The iconic property has more legendary characters than pretty much every other blockbuster movie series combined, with dozens of smaller characters all capable of leading their own projects. Be that as it may, there are few bigger shoes to fill than the fuzzy feet of Han Solo's first mate, Chewbacca.

Inspired by George Lucas' childhood dog, an Alaskan Malamute named Indiana (I wonder where I've heard that name before?), the seven foot tall walking carpet wasn't originally going to play a large part in "Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope." However, thanks to the casting of the lovable Peter Mayhew and his giant feet (along with his famous and distinctly canine head tilt), Chewbacca became an essential part of the "Star Wars" canon.

When it came time to film the sequel trilogy and the young Han Solo spin-off film, "Solo: A Star Wars Story," Mayhew was too old to portray the character full-time. Hence, the then 29 year old 6'11" Finnish basketball player Joonas Suotamo stepped in to help carry the load, starting with his portrayal of Chewbacca in the more active sections of "Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens." But while it might have been a dream come true for Suotamo, a cringey comment resulted in him getting off to a bit of a rocky start with his new co-star: Harrison Ford.

Harrison Ford is a bonafide legend who made playing the suave smuggler Han Solo look easy. As such, meeting the man in person was one of the first major tasks that Suotamo was charged with after landing his "Star Wars" gig. Speaking with The Bragging Mommmy ahead of "Solo" releasing in theaters. the actor told the tale of how he first me the real Han Solo. As great as the experience was, though, Suotamo admitted he was so nervous it led to him blurting out something he quickly came to regret:

"And I think I was so nervous that I told — my first thing when I saw Harrison was, Harrison, 'Oh, boy, I wasn't even born when you guys made these films'. And he did not like that very much. But we were able to climb over that hurdle and start again."

Ford is famously cantankerous when dealing with "Star Wars" super fans, so it's not at all surprising that he wouldn't respond well to a comment referring to just how long he's been playing the role of Han Solo. Luckily, Suotamo was able to get over the awkwardness and become a beloved part of the "Star Wars" universe, playing the part of Han's first mate throughout the remainder of the sequel trilogy and "Solo" alike.

The rest of us can only dream of getting to meet Han Solo himself (though, ideally, in our dreams, we'll come up with something a little less awkward to introduce ourselves).