In Solo: A Star Wars Story fans of the galaxy far, far away will get to see how our favorite scruffy nerf herder got his smuggling start, which will mean meeting two people who played a big part in setting him on his outlaw path, Woody Harrelson‘s Beckett and Thandie Newton‘s Val. But what were the two newcomers doing in the galaxy far, far away before they met Han? Where did they come from? How did they end up in a life of crime themselves? To find out we asked the two actors, and not only did we learn a whole lot about Beckett, Val, and what’s at the heart of the movie, we found out it’s best to respond to a question before Thandie Newton gives an answer so good she’s impossible to follow.

In this Nerdist Special Report our Dan Casey sat down with Harrelson and (huge Nerdist fan!) Newton to try and find out who they thought the team of Beckett and Val were before the events of the film. The answer we got from Newton might not be the one you’d expect for two rogues working around the rules of the Empire, but that’s what makes it so intriguing, not just for them but for what we can expect from Solo.

It’s only fitting that Newton’s answer about Solo being about “loss” left Woody Harrelson at a loss for words.

Note to any other performer who ever does a joint interview with Thandie Newton–if you’re worried your answer to a question won’t be as good as hers, go first. Because you’re probably right.

What did you find most interesting about Val and Beckett’s backstory? What does it tell us about the movie? Tell us your answer in the comments below–before Thandie Newton gives an even better one.