Harrison Ford to young Han Solo actors: 'Don't do it'

Ford has warned shortlist finalists Alden Ehrenreich, Taron Egerton, and Jack Reynor of the dangers of the highly-coveted role

Harrison Ford has been involved in a string of flying accidents

Alden Ehrenreich, Taron Egerton, and Jack Reynor: take the advice of your elders. Harrison Ford has warned the young actors auditioning for Han Solo in the planned Star Wars spin-off, "don't do it."

Making a surprise appearance on Ellen, to support his buddy Chewbacca's promotion of The Force Awakens' imminent digital and Blu-Ray release, Ford joked about the franchise's seeming disloyalty to its actors.

Even though it's been revealed he's been pushing for Solo's death for the past 30 years, he quipped; "first, you know, it seems like everything’s going swimmingly, and you put in 25, 30 years, and they just… they just let you go. And they show you the door: ‘We’re done with you, thanks very much.'"

After Ellen referenced to the upcoming origins story as featuring a "new Han Solo", Ford also chipped in; "Not a new Han Solo, a … a … young. It’s worse than that, it’s a young Han Solo.”

"Don't do it" may not be the most practical advice, but Ford's a man eminently comfortable enough with his own legacy to play around with it; as much as cynics may begrudge his burgeoning paychecks, the man's clearly having a ball all the way to the bank, unlike the grizzled reluctance of some of his compatriots.

In fact, the actor's so at peace with his own comfortable position in life, he's perfectly happy to poke fun at the reported £23M paycheck he received for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. With a twinkle in his eye and a victorious cheer, he teased that he earned "a little bit more" than the $1,000 a week paid to him on the first Star Wars film.

Ford was recently confirmed to be returning to the role of Indiana Jones for a fifth outing; though even he seems a little clueless as to what exactly those plans entail.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray 18 April.