Star Wars: Skeleton Crew star Jude Law insists Han shot first

"Han killed him, cold blood. And that's why we love him."

Jude Law has pretty much done it all throughout his career. He’s played an iconic Harry Potter hero as well as a traitorous Marvel villain. He’s done romantic comedies, acted for Spielberg, and worked under Scorsese. But for his next job, the 51-year-old Oscar nominee travelled to a galaxy far, far away.

Law will be starring in the latest Star Wars series, Skeleton Crew, which premieres Dec. 3 on Disney+. The show is a throwback to classic kid-centric 1980s Amblin fare like E.T. and The Goonies, and while Law can be seen in the recently released trailer floating some keys with what appears to be some sort of Force power, he won’t say much about the character he is portraying.

Jod Na Nawood (Jude Law) is closely examined by security droid eyestalks while his young partners stand back in Lucasfilm's STAR WARS: SKELETON CREW, exclusively on Disney+
Jude Law as Jod Na Nawood on 'Star Wars: Skeleton Crew'.

Lucasfilm/Disney+

“I play someone with a very mysterious past,” the actor tells Entertainment Weekly. “He's known by many names. He is contradictory. The children meet him, and he promises to help them find their way home, but not all of them trust him. And some of them really worship him. So he becomes a kind of barometer almost for their sense of security under an adult's wing in this world.”

And it seems we should expect some twists and turns along the way. “You never really get a true read on him until the very, very end,” Law teases. “So it was great fun. That's all I'm going to say.”

(L-R): Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers), Jod Na Nawood (Jude Law), KB (Kyriana Kratter), Neel (Robert Timothy Smith), and Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong) in Lucasfilm's STAR WARS: SKELETON CREW, exclusively on Disney+.
Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers), Jod Na Nawood (Jude Law), KB (Kyriana Kratter), Neel (Robert Timothy Smith), and Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong) on 'Star Wars: Skeleton Crew'.

Matt Kennedy/Lucasfilm/Disney+

However, the actor who may or may not being playing a Jedi had more to say when we asked him to weigh in on the ultimate Star Wars debate: Who shot first, Han or Greedo?

In the original Star Wars, Han clearly shot the bounty hunter dead after Greedo threatened to either bring him to Jabba the Hutt or kill him on the spot. Han not only blasted Greedo under the table, but then left some coin to cover the costs of the damage… and, perhaps, body disposal.

Harrison Ford as Han Solo in the infamous "Han shot first" scene from 'Star Wars'
Harrison Ford as Han Solo in the infamous "Han shot first" scene from 'Star Wars'. Lucasfilm, Ltd.

However, when the Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope Special Edition was released in 1997, creator George Lucas changed the scene so that Greedo — demonstrating perhaps the worst aim in the entire Outer Rim — now took a shot at Han first, somehow firing straight up at a wall instead of at the guy sitting two feet in front of him. The reason for the change was apparently so Han did not come off like a cold-blooded murderer… which, of course, was one of the things that made the character so interesting to begin with.

Which is why the scene was then altered yet again later, this time with the two characters firing close to simultaneously. (Note: Greedo’s aim still sucks.) So with that all in mind, we asked Law for his take on who shot first.

Greedo and Harrison Ford as Han Solo in 'Star Wars'
Greedo and Harrison Ford as Han Solo in 'Star Wars'. Lucasfilm Ltd.

“Han!” Law enthusiastically and emphatically replies. “I have no qualms in that. Han killed him, cold blood.” To make his point Kyber crystal clear, he then doubles down. “And that was the way it was always meant to be. Han all the way. And that's why we love him.”

Law beams while harkening back to a time when scruffy nerf herders who took out pesky Rodians in a wretched hive of scum and villainy were allowed to be heroes. “I love that question,” he says. And we love his answer.

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew premieres Dec. 3 on Disney+. In the meantime, check out more with Jude Law in the video at the top of this article.

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