Meet The New ‘Solo’ Characters In The Ever-Expanding ‘Star Wars’ Universe
If you thought you could finish out the week without one moreSolonews story, think again! New info has just emerged about the three new potentially villainousSolocharacters played byWoody Harrelson,Thandie Newton, andPaul Bettany.
When it comes toSolo: A Star Wars Story, there are some things we know, and some things we don’t. We know that Han Solo will blossom into the lovable rogue we’re familiar with and we know he’llteam-up with mainstayStar Warscharacters Chewbacca and Lando. But what about thenewcharacters? Where do they fit into this latestStar Warsadventure? We’ve already learned a bit aboutEmilia Clarke’snew characterQi’Ra. Now, thanks toEntertainment Weekly, we have some new details about the characters played by Woody Harrelson, Thandie Newton, and Paul Bettany.
Woody Harrelson is Tobias Beckett
We’ve known for a while now that Woody Harrelson would be playing a kind of mentor toAlden Ehrenreich’s Han Solo. DirectorRon HowardtellsEWthat Harrelson’s character, named Tobias Beckett, “shapes Han really more than anybody, as Han comes to realize that in a lawless time he needs to try to come to terms with some kind of moral code.”
Per ScreenwritersLawrence and Jon Kasdan, Harrelson’s character is inspired, in part, by Long John Silver from Robert Louis Stevenson’sTreasure Island. In case you haven’t read that novel since AP English class back in the day, Long John Silver is an opportunistic, morally grey character – he’s willing to switch sides at the drop of the hat if it serves his interests.
Thandie Newton is Val
We don’t know a whole lot about Thandie Newton’s character, Val. Kathleen Kennedy tellsEWVal is tied to Harrelson’s character in some way: “They’ve been partners a long time.” Co-writer Jon Kasdan says that Newton’s character is “skeptical” of Han. Kasdan adds, “Her relationship with him goes in, I think, an…interesting direction.” This could mean literallyanything, so let’s not speculatetoowildly here.
A side-note about Newton’s performance: in the past, the actress revealed that the bulk of her scenes were actually shot by original directors Phil Miller and Chris Lord. “[Lord and Miller’s] work is everywhere in it,” Newtonsaid. “Ninety percent of my stuff is with them. And it certainly wasn’t about, ‘Oh we have to start again and do it all over.'”
Had to say goodbye to my friend@Paul_Bettanytoday. Another terrific performance from a world class talent.pic.twitter.com/6jkNKQNQZZ
— Ron Howard (@RealRonHoward)June 01, 2025
Paul Bettany is Dryden Vos
Paul Bettany’s character, Dryden Vos, was originally played byBoardwalk Empireactor Michael K. Williams. When Ron Howard came on board to reshoot a large chunk ofSolo, Williams was unable to return due to another commitment. Bettany was brought in as a replacement. We’ve learned in the past that Bettany’s character is a “intergalactic gangster.“EWconfirms that, stating that Bettany’s Dryden Vos is a successful crime boss. “He’s way deeper in the crime world than anyone else that we meet in the movie,” says Jon Kasdan.
In sharp contrast to Newton’s statements about a large portion of Lord and Miller’s original work remaining in the film, Bettanysaidin the past that Howard reshot most of the movie:
“[Ron Howard’s] staging ability is so fucking brilliant…I think he went in and he was like a laser, working out what needed to be done when he looked at the footage. And then, as things moved on, everybody felt so secure with him. And they gave him more. He reshot a lot more than was originally intended.”
