OVERLAY REPORT

In *The Empire Strikes Back* (1980), several of the film's most iconic moments were the result of actor improvisation or on-set collaboration rather than the original script. While George Lucas typically preferred sticking to the screenplay, the director of *Empire*, Irvin Kershner, encouraged the actors to experiment and find more authentic ways to deliver their lines. Below are the most notable improvised or actor-contributed scenes: ### 1. Han Solo: "I know." The most famous improvisation in the franchise occurred during the carbon-freezing scene. * **The Original Script:** In Lawrence Kasdan’s screenplay, after Princess Leia says "I love you," Han Solo was supposed to reply, **"I love you too"** or (in some drafts) **"Just remember that, 'cause I'll be back."** * **The Improvisation:** Harrison Ford felt the scripted response was too "banal" and didn't fit Han's roguish, emotionally guarded character. During a rehearsal/brainstorming session on the set, Ford suggested, "If she says 'I love you' and I say 'I know,' that's beautiful and acceptable and funny." * **The Outcome:** Kershner agreed, and they filmed it that way. George Lucas was initially "aghast" and feared the audience would laugh at Han, but after a test screening where the audience gave a "laugh of recognition," the line was kept. ### 2. Yoda: The "Yoda-isms" and Syntax When Frank Oz was cast to perform and voice Yoda, the character’s unique way of speaking was not fully realized in the script. * **The Contribution:** The original script had Yoda speaking in relatively standard English. Frank Oz felt that such an ancient, alien master should have a more distinct voice. He and the filmmakers worked together to develop the inverted syntax (Object-Subject-Verb order) on the fly during rehearsals and filming. * **Specific Moments:** Many of Yoda’s eccentric behaviors in his first meeting with Luke—such as rifling through Luke’s supplies and fighting R2-D2 with a cane over a small flashlight—were developed through Oz’s puppetry improvisation to test Luke’s patience. ### 3. Carrie Fisher: The "Script Doctor" Edits While not "on-camera" improvisation in the sense of making up words as the camera rolled, Carrie Fisher famously performed uncredited rewrites on her own dialogue to make Leia sound sharper and less like a "space princess" trope. * **"Never tell me the odds":** Discovery of Fisher’s personal annotated script shows she had a heavy hand in the dialogue on the *Millennium Falcon*. While the "Never tell me the odds" line is often attributed to Ford, it appeared as a handwritten note in Fisher's script, suggesting she helped craft the banter. * **The Hoth Kiss Scene:** In the scene where Leia calls Han a **"scruffy-looking nerf herder,"** Han’s defensive retort—**"Who's scruffy-looking?"**—is widely cited as an ad-lib by Harrison Ford. Fisher also helped refine the insults in this exchange to ensure they felt more grounded in their specific "bickering" relationship. ### 4. C-3PO: "I’m standing here in pieces!" Anthony Daniels (C-3PO) frequently ad-libbed physical and verbal reactions to fit the clumsy nature of his costume and the droid’s neurotic personality. * **The Scene:** When C-3PO is being carried on Chewbacca’s back in Cloud City, his frantic complaining was largely driven by Daniels’ own physical discomfort and his desire to play up the droid's indignity. Lines like **"I'm standing here in pieces, and you're having delusions of grandeur!"** were part of the on-set character development that went beyond the formal screenplay. ### 5. Lando Calrissian: "Hello, what have we here?" Billy Dee Williams brought a smooth, suave energy to Lando that wasn't always captured on the page. * **The Detail:** While the broad strokes of his introduction were scripted, Williams refined Lando's "space gambler" persona through his delivery and small flourishes. His iconic line when meeting Leia—**"Hello, what have we here?"**—became a signature moment that Williams helped shape to establish Lando’s flirtatious charm immediately.