by Harrison Ford is an icon of cinema, having portrayed some of the most beloved characters in film history. But it all started rather modestly for him with a little space opera called Star Wars. When Ford was cast as Han Solo in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, it was far from a sure thing that the film or the role would make him a star. In fact, his initial salary was only $10,000 for what would become one the most iconic roles in cinema history.
It’s almost hard to believe when looking back on it now – Harrison Ford getting only $10,000 to play the charming rogue Han Solo in A New Hope. But back in 1977, Ford wasn’t a big name yet. Prior to his breakout roles in American Graffiti and Star Wars, Ford was working as a carpenter to make ends meet between acting jobs. The studio and director George Lucas were taking a chance on this relatively unknown 30-year-old actor for their ambitious space adventure film. Little did they know that it would launch one of the most successful film franchises and acting careers of all time.
Ford himself didn’t even necessarily see Star Wars being anything more than another small acting job at the time. In interviews over the years, he has talked about how he approached the role of Han Solo more as a way to expand his acting resume, rather than as a calculated career move. The film had a chaotic production, going days over schedule and over budget in the Tunisian desert. Before it became a pop culture phenomenon, the cast and crew had no idea if this weird space movie would even be a success.
Considering all of that, Ford’s $10,000 salary for A New Hope was on the lower end, but made sense for an actor of his stature at the time taking a chance on some oddball sci-fi B-movie. Of course, we all know now that Star Wars skyrocketed Ford to fame, setting him on a path to becoming one of the most famous and acclaimed actors ever. But at that initial stage, it was far from guaranteed.
Ford’s career immediately shot upwards following A New Hope’s release and domination of the box office. When it came time for the sequel The Empire Strikes Back in 1980, Ford was able to negotiate a much bigger salary of $50,000 to reprise his role as Han Solo. While still modest compared to what he would later earn in Hollywood, that $50,000 pay day represented a recognition of his newfound stardom. The producers knew they needed Ford back for the sequel and now had the budget to entice him following A New Hope’s staggering success.
Moving forward to 1983’s Return of the Jedi, Ford was now a bona fide leading man after headlining the Indiana Jones franchise and Blade Runner. His salary for reprising Han Solo a third time in Jedi had climbed to $250,000. This quarter of a million dollar pay check demonstrates how in just 6 years, Ford’s star power had grown exponentially from his little $10,000 investment in A New Hope. As the key hero of the original Star Wars trilogy, Ford was absolutely vital to bring back one more time in order to complete the saga. By then, everyone realized just how special those films were becoming in pop culture.
Flash forward over 30 years later to 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which saw Harrison Ford return to his signature role as an older, grizzled Han Solo. Offers likely came flooding in for Ford to join the franchise revival alongside younger newcomers like Daisy Ridley and John Boyega. After lengthy negotiations, Ford agreed to return reportedly for an upfront salary of $10 million plus 0.5% of the film’s total box office gross. Thanks to The Force Awakens going on to earn over $2 billion worldwide, Ford’s total earnings for the film ended up being around $25 million total.
So in essence, Ford was paid $10 million just to show up and reprise a character he had originally played for $10,000 almost 40 years earlier. It shows just how exponentially both the value of the Star Wars franchise and Ford’s star power as an actor grew over the course of his career. At 74 years old, Ford was still one of the most coveted and vital pieces needed to sell the first Star Wars film in a decade. His brief but emotional return as Han Solo was considered one of the highlights of The Force Awakens.
In total, Harrison Ford has earned around $50 million for his Star Wars roles to date. When looked at as a whole, it is truly an acting career defined by those films and that role. From an unproven supporting player making $10,000 in 1977 to the wise veteran anchoring a revival film for $25 million in 2015, Ford’s journey encapsulates just how massive Star Wars became in popular culture. Very few actors get to experience that kind of career trajectory. Or to be so intrinsically tied to one legendary role over multiple generations.
Ford’s Han Solo will always be the essential part that launched his acting career into the stratosphere. Every opportunity that followed for him over the past 45+ years traces back to that initial $10,000 investment in a role that no one could have predicted would make him an icon. Ford built a career any actor would envy through his collaborations with George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. But even when he became a top box office draw worldwide, Ford never forgot where it all started for him. When the time came to pass the baton to new Star Wars actors, Ford gave Han Solo a farewell worthy of a character who had defined his career.
From a financial standpoint, Ford has certainly benefited tremendously from the good fortune of being cast as Han Solo back in 1977. He likely had no idea when agreeing to that first modest $10,000 salary where it would lead over the ensuing decades. But creatively, Ford put his heart and soul into making Han Solo an unforgettable screen icon. He has always expressed gratitude for the opportunity and the doors it opened. Star Wars made Ford a household name and he made Han Solo forever synonymous with his own unique star power. The character and the actor are now linked together in cinematic history.
So while his salaries across the Star Wars saga may have varied wildly, Ford consistently delivered a portrayal of the galaxy’s favorite scoundrel that lives on. For the kid inside every Star Wars fan, Harrison Ford and Han Solo are one in the same. When we close our eyes and imagine that cocky pilot of the Millennium Falcon, it’s Ford’s face we see. He made the jump to hyperspace for Han Solo in 1977 and we all jumped along with him on an unforgettable ride. No matter how much or how little he was paid film to film, Ford’s Star Wars legacy is priceless.
