LOS ANGELES: When speaking about “Star Wars,” there are few topics that inspire a twinkle in Harrison Ford’s eyes.

The 73-year-old actor is matter-of-fact about almost everything involving the sci-fi series’ latest episode — from his reunion with Carrie Fisher (“It was no big deal.”) to the franchise’s unwavering popularity (“For me, it’s old news.”).

However, when Ford brings up his new co-stars, he lights up like the Millennium Falcon charging through hyperspace.

“The new, young actors Daisy Ridley and John Boyaga were well cast, well directed and are huge talents,” he said, his gritty voice lifting, during a recent interview. “They come off really well in the movie. They carry the movie.”

After more than 30 years, Ford is reprising his role as smart-aleck smuggler Han Solo in director J.J. Abrams’ “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” out Dec. 18.

The iconic character, who hasn’t been seen on screen since celebrating the fall of the Galactic Empire in 1983’s “Return of the Jedi,” serves as an unlikely mentor to scavenger Rey (Daisy Ridley), defector Finn (John Boyega) and pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) as they team up to take on masked adversary Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and his minions.

While the film has been cloaked in an unparalleled level of secrecy, Ford guaranteed that fans can expect the same Solo they fell in love with from the original “Star Wars” trilogy.

“The shorthand is that he’s older and wiser, but his bones are the same,” Ford said. “He’s not selling real estate now. He’s the same guy — only with the passage of 30 years. While we do not sit down and describe what he’s been doing for those years, we do discover in the context of the story what the complications have been in his life.”