3. Han Is Partially Inspired By Francis Ford Coppola
Here's one that will interest cinephiles out there: Han Solo's identifying arrogance and wit don't just come from Harrison Ford, but were also inspired by a much more unlikely source. The character was apparently partly based on Francis Ford Coppola. George Lucas had been friends with him for many years before they worked together on Coppola's Apocalypse Now, on whose script Lucas contributed and was actually the first choice of director. During production, Lucas was concurrently working on Star Wars and Coppola's swagger and charisma is said to have fed into Han's personality. In return, Coppola had a character in Apocalypse Now named Colonel G. Lucas, after his fellow director. And who played this character? None other than Harrison Ford!
