Charlie Cox's Star Wars Audition Was A Disaster Thanks To Marvel's Daredevil

It doesn't take a Jedi master to feel the hefty element of pressure when trying to get a foot in the galaxy far, far away. Thankfully, for an actor known for playing a man without fear, that wasn't a problem for Charlie Cox when he auditioned for a "Star Wars" movie. Unfortunately, what was an issue was the added character elements of the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero he'd played for so long that he couldn't shake off, which heavily impacted his chances at joining yet another star-studded franchise.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the star of "Daredevil: Born Again" and the best MCU show ever, "Daredevil," revealed that he was immediately starting to see the perks of going for other jobs outside of Hell's Kitchen. "It's been really fun to look people in the eye," explained Cox, who played Matt Murdock, the blind lawyer gifted with heightened senses and innate skill for beating purse-snatchers and drug dealers on sidewalks and back alleys. It turned out, though, that after spending so long in the character, eye contact was the trickiest part to master for any other role. Without realizing it, Cox was still going for auditions and turning whatever character he was trying out for into a blind one, and it took some kind words from a casting director to point it out. 

In the early phases of the big push for "Star Wars" stories making their way back on our screens, it turned out that Charlie Cox had dared to step into the shoes of well-known smuggler, Han Solo, in the Ron Howard-directed prequel movie, "Solo: A Star Wars Story," (which went to Alden Ehrenreich, who now plays Ezekiel Stane in the MCU).  Unfortunately, one creative touch he made without thinking is turning the captain of the Millennium Falcon blind. 

"I had gone to an audition — one of those things that are super secretive and they don't tell you, but I'm pretty sure it was for the Han Solo reboot— and halfway through it, the casting director stopped me and said, 'Why aren't you looking at me?'" It was here that Cox had discovered that a key trait from his time as Daredevil had shifted over to his trial run here as well. "I realized I had gotten into a habit of not making eye contact, because the only thing I had done for two years is play someone who is blind. I never got invited back, probably because they couldn't figure out why I was acting like a complete idiot."

While it certainly sounds like a very niche setback for someone trying out a role, it also feels like an understandable one in the actor's case. A lot of effort was invested by Charlie Cox to fool audiences into thinking he was really blind. He just clearly didn't see how much of a lasting effect the character had on him.