Harrison Ford Improvised On The Set Of 'A New Hope'
One of the characters that has been very loved by Star Wars fans since the franchise’s inception is Han Solo. Not only is Han Solo the charismatic bad boy, but the looks of Harrison Ford made his character a favorite. Now, a new detail of Harrison Ford behind the scenes of A New Hope has surfaced, and it is making fans love him even more.
Star Wars is definitely a generational franchise. Parents and grandparents who grew up watching the originals in theaters are now watching the sequels and prequels with their kids and grandkids. The love of this franchise from all ages is definitely due in part to the compelling characters and interesting storylines. The epic story started with a movie no one thought would be a hit: Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, released in 1977. The revolutionary technology used and the unique and imaginative storyline hooked audiences and forever changed cinema and science fiction. It introduced the world to cinematic icons like Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia, Chewbacca, C-3PO, and R2-D2. And their stories left a lasting impact.
A New Hope is a clear standout among all the other films in the Skywalker saga and the Star Wars franchise. It’s the story that started it all. And while many of the other films have great parts and stand out as many different fans’ favorites, A New Hope is a classic. The original film of the galaxy far, far away has many quotes and moments in the story that have defined Star Wars in a multitude of ways.
A New Hope also serves as the ultimate reference for Easter eggs in Star Wars and the entire entertainment industry. If a Star Wars movie gets quoted or referenced in another movie or show, it is almost always A New Hope. It also won six Academy Awards, which was unheard of for a science fiction/fantasy film at the time.
Now, in a post from Instagram, a never-before-seen (or heard) story has surfaced from the behind-the-scenes of the beloved movie, which adds another layer of excitement and interest for the fans. Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) posted the behind-the-scenes photo on his Instagram, @HamillHimself, of himself and Harrison Ford holding hands on the set of A New Hope. Mark Hamill explained the story behind the photo by stating that it was Harrison’s Ford idea “to hold hands so [their] movements would be consistent,” and give a better view for Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia), who was, at the time that this photo was taken, being filmed for her reaction to this end scene. The scene that is being references is the final scene from A New Hope where the heroes are given medals for their part in the victory against the Empire.
On most movie sets, when they film a scene, they do multiple takes. Usually, it will be multiple takes of the same person(s) or object(s), and then they will film multiple takes of the other person(s) reacting or looking at something. Hence why, in this scene, they filmed Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford walking up to receive their medals and then did different takes of Carrie Fisher reacting to them approaching the dais.
After Mark Hamill posted this photo, Joonas Suoatamo, who played Chewbacca in the sequel trilogy, left a comment on the photo saying that he appreciates Harrison Ford better after knowing this tidbit.
"Knowing this, I appreciate you holding my hand even more now."
The story that Mark Hamill shared on social media is a testament to Hamill and Ford’s life-long friendship. By sharing this heartwarming story about how this scene was filmed, it makes the iconic final scene even more special.
Mark Hamill is the ultimate fan of Star Wars, and we can always count on him to talk about something special about the movies that no one had seen or heard of before.
Source(s): The Direct