Summary
- Adam Driver says that his Star Wars character, Kylo Ren, was not solely responsible for Han Solo’s death in The Force Awakens.
- Driver expresses his frustration with people approaching him in public and blaming him for killing Han Solo, suggesting that it was “wokeness” that caused the character’s demise.
- Despite his Star Wars success, Driver has moved on to other projects like House of Gucci and Ferrari, where he has received praise for his performances, but also faced backlash for cultural appropriation.
Adam Driver returned to Saturday Night Live this weekend, and took the opportunity to stir-up Star Wars fans by commenting about how his character, Kylo Ren, was not really the one responsible for the death of Han Solo in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Sitting at a piano to sing his Christmas List to Santa, the actor preceded the piece by explaining how he loves the Holiday season, for many reasons. This includes his “deep and personal” relationship with Santa. Driver said in his opening monologue:
“I’m so excited to be back, especially during this time of year. I love Christmas. It’s my favorite holiday, the food, the music, the family… But largely it’s because I have a very deep and personal relationship with Santa. Usually I [tell Santa my list] in private. Since we’re here, and I know Santa watches SNL.He hasn’t liked it since [Chris] Kattan left.”
However, it was while singing out his list of festive wishes that Driver paused to mention the infamous Star Wars scene in which Harrison Ford’s Han Solo was killed by his son, played by Driver. He said:
“I liked for people to stop coming up to me in the street saying, ‘You killed Han Solo.’ I didn’t kill Han Solo, wokeness killed Han Solo.”
This is not the first time recently that Driver has discussed his Star Wars role, or the ramifications it has had on his life. Speaking on the Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace? Streaming series, Driver said that he was reminded by someone “every day” about the scene in which he ends the life of one of the original Star Wars characters. While the actor has seen complaints about the moment going down to “probably once a month”, it is clear that there are still plenty of people out there who still take issue with the events that transpired in the first movie of the Star Wars sequel trilogy.
Adam Driver has Moved on From His Star Wars Role
Despite getting his big break playing Ben Solo aka Kylo Ren in the Star Wars sequels, Adam Driver has not spent much time dwelling on his sci-fi role. Driver appeared in 2021’s House of Gucci and The Last Duel, as well as 2022 movie White Noise. Earlier this year, he starred in another sci-fi movie, 65, in which he starred as a space pilot who crash lands on what appears to be a prehistoric planet and is one of just two survivors who must work together to survive the dangerous and hostile world of dinosaurs. While the movie did not gain very positive reviews, the film was a small hit and provided Driver with a stepping stone to other projects.
His latest movie is a world away from Star Wars, playing Enzo Ferrari in Michael Mann’s biopic, simply titled Ferrari. While Driver has been receiving praise for his portrayal of the automobile entrepreneur, the movie has also received backlash for “cultural appropriation” from one of Italy’s most famous actors, Pierfrancesco Favino. The actor questioned “why can an American play an Italian” if “a Cuban can’t play a Mexican.”
Ferrari is set to be released on December 25, 2023, and is expected to become one of the best movies based in the world of motor racing with Driver at the wheel. Next, Driver is expected to appear in Mann’s in-development sequel to Heat, the 1995 movie which starred Al Pacino, Robert De Niro and Val Kilmer.
