Solo: A Star Wars Story Almost Cast This Actor As Lando

Solo: A Star Wars Story memorably introduces Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian, the smooth-talking smuggler, gambler, and entrepreneur. But Glover almost lost out to another actor.

That actor is O'Shea Jackson Jr., best known for playing Ice Cube in 2015’s Straight Outta Compton . Speaking to interviewer Chris Van Vliet on YouTube, Jackson Jr reveals he auditioned for Lando four times.

“Honestly, I was really close to being Lando. And then I ended up doing Cocaine Bear with Alden [Alden Ehrenreich, who plays Han Solo]…I was like, 'man, I got this in the bag'...when I got the call that Donald Glover got it, I deleted every Childish Gambino song I had."

Elsewhere in the interview Jackson Jr admits struggling against preconceived notions of his acting abilities. “I know there’s just certain roles that they won’t see a music performer in.” That role wouldn’t be Lando, however, because Glover’s also a well-known music star under his alias Childish Gambino.

Related: What’s Happening With That Lando Series on Disney+?

There was a happy ending for Jackson Jr., however. He ended up with a role in Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi portraying activist Kawlan Roken. “Of course, when one door closes, another opens,” he says.