OVERLAY REPORT

In *The Empire Strikes Back* (1980), several scenes and lines were either improvised on the spot or heavily workshopped by the actors and director Irvin Kershner to feel more natural. The most significant and well-documented instances include: ### 1. Han Solo’s "I Know" (The Carbonite Freezing Chamber) This is the most famous improvised line in film history. In the script, when Princess Leia says "I love you," Han Solo was originally supposed to reply with a standard **"I love you, too"** (or in some earlier drafts, "Just remember that, 'cause I'll be back"). * **The Detail:** On the day of filming, both Harrison Ford and director Irvin Kershner felt the scripted line was too "sappy" and didn't fit Han Solo’s cocky, rogue persona. During a lunch break, they discussed alternatives. Kershner told Ford to try whatever came to mind in the next take. * **The Result:** When Leia said the line, Ford instinctively replied, **"I know."** Kershner immediately knew it was perfect and yelled "Wrap!" after just one take of that version. George Lucas was initially worried the line would be seen as arrogant and might get a "bad laugh," but it tested so well with audiences that it remained in the film. ### 2. Carrie Fisher’s Dialogue Polishing While often credited as an actress, Carrie Fisher was a prolific "script doctor." On the set of *Empire*, she and Harrison Ford frequently rewrote their banter to make it sharper. * **The Detail:** A handwritten script page from Fisher surfaced years later, showing her revisions to scenes set inside the **Millennium Falcon** while they are hiding in the asteroid belt. * **Specific Lines:** Fisher revised the dialogue where Leia asks Han about their location. The famous line where she mentions the **"Lando system"** (referring to the system where Lando Calrissian is located) was one of her specific dialogue polishings to replace clunkier technical jargon. ### 3. Han and Leia’s "Scoundrel" Banter The chemistry and bickering between Han and Leia throughout the film were often the result of on-set workshopping. * **The Detail:** Director Irvin Kershner encouraged the actors to "play" with the scenes. In the scene where Han and Leia argue in the Hoth corridors (leading to the "I happen to like nice men" / "I'm a nice man" exchange), the actors adjusted the pacing and specific barbs to increase the romantic tension. * **The Shoulder Smack:** In an unused but filmed outtake on Hoth, Han gives Leia a playful smack on the shoulder after she expresses concern about the Falcon. While it didn't make the final cut, it exemplifies the physical improvisation the actors brought to the set. ### 4. Frank Oz’s "Morale-Boosting" Improvisation (Dagobah) While not in the final film, there were famous unscripted moments on the Dagobah set involving Yoda. * **The Detail:** Filming on the Dagobah set was notoriously grueling. To cheer up Mark Hamill (who had to act primarily with a puppet in a swamp), Frank Oz improvised a performance where **Miss Piggy** (his other famous Muppet character) suddenly appeared on the set and began complaining about the "dump" they were filming in. * **The Result:** This broke the tension and brought much-needed laughter to the crew, though Kershner reportedly stayed focused on the schedule. ### 5. The "I Am Your Father" Secret (Acting against a different line) While not technically "improvisation" in the creative sense, a unique form of "forced improvisation" occurred during the Vader/Luke duel. * **The Detail:** To prevent spoilers, the script given to David Prowse (Vader) and most of the crew said: **"No, Obi-Wan killed your father."** * **The Result:** Mark Hamill was told the truth just moments before filming so he could react correctly. This meant Prowse was acting and speaking a line that would eventually be replaced by James Earl Jones’s iconic "I am your father." The actors were essentially "improvising" their emotional responses to two different versions of the truth.