Harrison Ford is a man of few words, and they’ve often pretty blunt. So it’s no surprise that the famously taciturn star of mega hits like the Indiana Jones franchise, the Jack Ryan franchise and The Fugitive (just to name a few) was entirely open about his feelings regarding returning as Han Solo in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. There, Han appeared to his son, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), even though Han died in 2015’s The Force Awakens.
“When JJ (Abrams) asked me to do it, I said, ‘Are you kidding? I’m dead!'” Ford told USA Today.
"He said, ‘Sorta dead. You can do this.’ He hadn’t written anything at that time. But he said, ‘This is going to be great.’ So I said okay. If JJ asked you do something, you’d probably do it too. He’s a very persuasive guy."
But Ford needed a better reason to appear in a movie than doing the director a favor, so he dug around until he found the scene’s meaning. “It was a useful addition to the story and the continuing development of Adam Driver’s character,” Ford explained. “And the chance to do another scene with Adam was great.”
The last time father and son met, Kylo ran Han through with his red lightsaber. “Last time, it didn’t turn out so well for me,” Ford mused. “But it worked for him.”
Star Wars fans have argued about Han’s return. Was it just a vision Kylo was having, or was Han a Force ghost? Luke Skywalker, Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda had all returned at some point or another as Force ghosts, but Han was never Force sensitive.
All of this means little to Ford. “A Force ghost? I don’t know what a Force ghost is,” he said. “Don’t tell anyone. I’m not talking loud enough for your recorder. I have no (expletive) idea what a Force ghost is. And I don’t care!”
You can catch Ford in his newest film, Call of the Wild, when it hits theaters on February 21.
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