“It Was Messy”: Han Solo Actor Sheds New Light on Troubled Production

Its no secret that Phil Lord and Chris Millers exit from Solo: A Star Wars Story was a touch acrimonious. The directors, who were brought on to revitalize the franchise thanks to their success with properties like The Lego Movie and 21 Jump Street, were booted from the Han Solo origin story in June, after it became evident that their vision didnt mesh with Lucasfilms style of moviemaking. Rumors abounded, Ron Howard was summoned to replace them, and Lord and Miller lined up a new project. All, it seemed, was well in the galaxy. At least on the surface.

But now, an actor who worked on Solo has come forward with more details about Lord and Millers split from the franchise, highlighting just how tense things were on set before the duo left—and how calm things apparently became once Howard took the reins. Because this is Star Wars, baby, and we shall leave no well-trodden piece of franchise lore unturned.

The actor, who spoke to Vulture on condition of anonymity, said one of the issues with Lord and Millers directing style was their penchant for dozens of takes.

“Phil and Chris are good directors, but they werent prepared for Star Wars,” the source said. “After the 25th take, the actors are looking at each other like, This is getting weird. [Lord and Miller] seemed a bit out of control. They definitely felt the pressure; with one of these movies, there are so many people on top of you all the time. The first assistant director was really experienced and had to step in to help them direct a lot of scenes.”

Joy Fehily, a spokesperson for the filmmakers, told Vulture that “this information is completely inaccurate,” but declined to comment further. Representatives for Disney have not yet responded to Vanity Fairs request for comment.

Per the actor, Howard was able to quickly gain control of the set once he joined the project, likely due to his years of experience in the industry and his aptitude with sprawling movie sets. “He got respect immediately,” the actor said. “Hes really confident.”

The actor also reiterated past reports indicating that leading man Alden Ehrenreich struggled with mimicking Harrison Ford for the role and needed an acting coach. Once the coach was brought on, the change was evident. “You could see his acting became more relaxed,” the source said. “He became more Harrison-like. The coach helped!”

Lucasfilms dedication to secrecy also meant that the actor and his castmates—save for the big stars, conceivably—found out about Lord and Millers firing from online reports, just like the rest of us. “It was crazy,” the actor said. “They fired our bosses. Everyone was texting each other: Did you see the news? Do you think theyre doing re-shoots? It was messy. And it was crazy how everything got leaked to the press.”

The drama around the film has mostly subsided now that Solo is all bundled up and ready to hit theaters on May 25. Teaser trailers have been unleashed, allowing viewers to judge Ehrenreichs Ford impression for themselves and bask in the glory of Lando Calrissians (Donald Glover) beautiful coat. Lord and Miller, meanwhile, have settled their Solo side of things, revealing that they ultimately decided to accept executive-producer credit and give full directors credit to Howard.

Get Vanity Fairs HWD NewsletterSign up for essential industry and award news from Hollywood.Full ScreenPhotos:See Lena Waithes Vanity Fair Cover ShootYohana DestaYohana Desta is a Hollywood writer for VanityFair.com.