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Harrison Ford was shocked by Han Solo’s comeback in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

Guarded secret: Harrison Ford with Chewbacca in the seventh episode: Disney/Lucasfilm Ltd
Guarded secret: Harrison Ford with Chewbacca in the seventh episode: Disney/Lucasfilm Ltd

Harrison Ford has admitted that he was very surprised when director JJ Abrams asked him to appear as Han Solo in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker - despite his character dying in a previous film.

Ford, 77, reprised his famous role in Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2015, which Abrams also directed, alongside other original cast members Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill.

However, Han Solo famously met a tragic end in the film when he was killed by his son Kylo Ren, played by Adam Driver.

Despite this, the character briefly reappears in The Rise of Skywalker, which is the ninth and final film in Star Wars’ Skywalker saga, to speak to his now-repentant son.

Recalling his conversation with Abrams, Ford told Good Morning America: “When JJ asked me to do it, I said, ‘Are you kidding? I’m dead!’”

Joking that Abrams is “a very persuasive guy,” he explained: “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 ‘OK.’

“If JJ asked you to do something, you’d probably do it too. He’s a very persuasive guy.”

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Ford appeared in The Force Awakens in 2015 ()

Ford said that the emotional scene was “a useful addition to the story and the continuing development of Adam Driver’s character” and added that it was “great” to have “the chance to do another scene” with the Oscar nominee.

“Last time, it didn’t turn out so well for me,” he joked. “But it worked for him.”

The Rise of Skywalker arrived in cinemas in December and was met with mixed reactions from fans and critics.

CGI technology allowed Abrams and his team to repurpose unused footage of Fisher from The Force Awakens to allow Princess Leia to appear in the story, after she died in 2016 at the age of 60.

Hamill also made a brief appearance in the film, which starred John Boyega, Daisy Ridley and Oscar Isaac.

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