Star Wars: Harrison Ford Breaks Silence on Han Solo Dying and Returning

For decades, Harrison Ford has expressed how he was willing to sacrifice his Han Solo character for the greater good of the Skywalker Saga, ultimately getting his wish in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Ford’s comments about his exit from the series implied that he would likely never return to the series, only to make a surprise appearance in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, which he claims was due to director J.J. Abrams thinking it would be a good idea. With the actor only appearing in one scene, it seems like it would be much easier to convince him to return to the series.

“I figured that his utility had been exhausted, bled out, and was … well, I was willing to die for the cause. Bring some gravitas,” Ford shared with Jimmy Kimmel Live of his willingness to die As far as his return, Ford quipped, “No good deed goes unpunished.”

Much like Ford was willing to have his character die, he didn’t put up much of a fight when it came to bringing the character back.

“J.J. said, ‘This is a good idea. I, J.J., have decided that this is a good idea and I would like you to do it,’” Ford detailed about the return. When Kimmel asked if the actor trusted Abrams, Ford joked, “Don’t you?”

Abrams himself had previously elaborated on the decision to bring Han Solo back into the mix to have a meaningful conversation with his on-screen son, noting that Ford knew that his character’s role in the overall franchise took precedence over his own ideas for the character.

“We had a meeting and talked about what it would be,” Abrams revealed to Vanity Fair. “Harrison, who is one of the great people ever, and incredibly thoughtful about everything that he does, all he ever wants is to understand the utility of the character. ‘What is my role?’ It was about sitting with him and explaining what our intention was. We talked about it for quite a while, I sent him the pages. He got it, and of course, as you can see, he was wonderful.”

Sadly, between the conclusion of the Skywalker Saga and the disappointing financial performance of Solo: A Star Wars Story, we shouldn’t expect to see Han Solo in a live-action project anytime soon.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is in theaters now.

What do you think of Ford’s thoughts on his character’s return? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!