Hollywood icon Harrison Ford has had a long and successful career playing different roles. But it was his portrayal of Han Solo in Star Wars that skyrocketed his fame and made him a superstar.
However, despite such a legacy of the iconic space opera franchise, Ford has always clearly mentioned his opinion on certain aspects of the series and this included his playful criticisms of George Lucas’ dialogue-writing abilities.
In an interview way back, Mark Hamill, who starred as the protagonist Luke Skywalker in George Lucas’ Star Wars revealed that there was a line that made Harrison Ford threaten to tie Lucas up.
Harrison Ford Was Not Happy with One Particular Line from Star Wars, Written By George Lucas
The Star Wars franchise boasts an enduring legacy, with numerous sequels, prequels, comics, TV series, action figures, theme parks, books, and more, and all stem from the vision of George Lucas in the first Star Wars film
However, this vision is not always set in stone. Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker, took issue with a particular line in the 1977 film and requested that it be removed.
During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1977, Mark Hamill shared his role in the improvisation of the script.
“The dialogue was a little bit difficult. I remember that there was one line that I just begged him to take out of the screenplay, and he finally did. Boy, I’ll never forget it as long as I live. I sometimes dream about this line.”
“Harrison says, ‘Look kid, I’ve done my part of the bargain,‘” Hamill said.
“‘When I get to an asteroid, you, the old man, and the droids get dropped off.’ And my line was: ‘But we can’t turn back, fear is their greatest defense; I doubt if the actual security there is any greater than it was on Aquilae or Sullust, and what there is is most likely directed towards a large-scale assault!’ And I thought, ‘Who talks like this, George?’“
Hamill mentioned that George Lucas ultimately agreed to alter the line while maintaining the essence of the sentiment.
George Lucas Admitted That He Got Some Issues in Dialogue Writing
It was not only Mark Hamill in the franchise who had issues with George Lucas’ dialogue. Actor Alec Guinness, who portrayed Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: A New Hope, spoke about the poor dialogue from Lucas in a letter he had written. (Via BBC)
However, Lucas was not someone who would be fumed over such criticism. Rather he acknowledged his weakness in dialogue writing and appearing in an interview with Empire magazine stated:
“I’d be the first person to say I can’t write dialogue. My dialogue is very utilitarian and is designed to move things forward. I’m not Shakespeare. It’s not designed to be poetic. It’s not designed to have a clever turn of phrase. […] I’m aware that dialogue isn’t my strength. I use it as a device. I don’t particularly like dialogue, which is part of the problem.”
Lucas also said that the style of Star Wars was a reference to the 1930s style seen in Westerns and weekend matinees. He defended it, saying that they were supposed to be melodramatic.
All Star Wars movies in the original, prequel, and sequel trilogy are available for streaming on Disney+.
