After reading Peter Hall's post on Kevin Spacey's stunning impersonations, I had to reacquaint myself with the old SNL sketch he mentioned and get as much Spacey as I could. (Check it out if you have no idea what I'm talking about.) From there, well, the handy site called YouTube suggested something else for me -- Kurt Russell's Star Wars audition.
If you didn't already know, he was one of the many actors vying for the role of Han Solo (according to IMDb, a list including Nick Nolte, Christopher Walken, Jack Nicholson, and even -- egads -- Steve Martin). What's funny about the clip (after the jump) is how completely earnest and goodie Russell was playing it -- almost like the good-natured Disney fare from his youth. There was none of the true cockiness, ego, or charisma that made the character so memorable. No, no one could have done what Harrison Ford did with the role, but we all know that Russell had the charisma necessary for Mr. Solo. Or rather, that he would soon enough. Somewhere hidden inside that actor was the toughness, alluring machismo, and heroic wonder that thrived soon after in Escape from New York. My best guess: He didn't take this weird little flick seriously, at all.
Man, I'm so glad that "it" came out in Snake rather than Han, aren't you?
1. Who is reading as Luke?
Posted at 1:23PM on Oct 30th 2009 by Joe