Harrison Ford discusses surprise Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker cameo

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker contained a whole host of surprises, but perhaps the biggest was seeing Harrison Ford return as Han Solo.

The stuck up, half-witted, scruffy-looking nerf herder died during Star Wars: The Force Awakens, yet returned in J.J. Abrams' Episode IX. Not as a Force Ghost, though, but as a figment of Kylo Ren's imagination who helps turn Ben Solo back to the Light Side.

The cameo wasn't just a pleasant surprise for cinemagoers, but also for Ford. "When J.J. asked me to do it, I said, 'Are you kidding? I’m dead!' He said, 'Sorta dead. You can do this.' He hadn’t written anything at that time," the actor told USA Today. "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."

Another reason Ford wanted to return to the series was simply to work alongside Kylo actor Adam Driver again. "It was a useful addition to the story and the continuing development of Adam Driver's character," Ford added. "And the chance to do another scene with Adam was great."

However, it's a good job Ford wasn't asked to be a Force Ghost, as the screen icon still has no idea what that means... “A Force Ghost? I don’t know what a Force Ghost is,” Ford said. “I have no fucking idea what a Force Ghost is. And I don’t care.”

In other Star Wars news, Kelly Marie Tran has revealed her thoughts on her character's minimal screentime in Abrams' movie, saying: “When you’re in something of that calibre, there’s always people working to make something out of love, and no matter what you do, there’s always going to be people who aren’t happy with that.”

Fancy rewatching the Star Wars movies? Here's how to watch the Star Wars movies in order and here's the Star Wars timeline to help you out.

Jack Shepherd is the former Senior Entertainment Editor of GamesRadar. Jack used to work at The Independent as a general culture writer before specializing in TV and film for the likes of GR+, Total Film, SFX, and others. You can now find Jack working as a freelance journalist and editor.