Who shot first? Meeting Greedo (Paul Blake)
It’s not every day you meet somebody who played a key role in one of the most iconic scenes in cinema history…and what an absolute pleasure to meet Paul Blake at an event in Newcastle, England. Paul played the now-legendary Bounty Hunter ‘Greedo’ alongside Harrison Ford in the famous Cantina scene of Star Wars A New Hope (1977).
The famous scene in a Cantina booth, where Greedo confronts Han to tell him his times up, felt like such a loaded glimpse into Han’s life and backstory. It gives immediate richness to Han’s character and builds his ‘cool’ immeasurably. Greedo is the necessary foil. His electric green skin, ability to sneak up on Han to hold him at blaster-point at a critical moment in the story, and memorable alien voice, are up to the job and I think make him iconic too.
On a panel, Paul regaled the story of his way into Star Wars, invited to audition for some space movie by his friend Anthony Daniels (C3PO), and accidentally asking George Lucas to fetch him a coffee (which he did) upon arriving for said audition. He talked about shooting various scenes as Greedo and with Harrison Ford, including under the Falcon. Not expecting that the Cantina scene would be where he’d get his screen time.
It was so interesting hearing Paul describe half-expecting the film to be a surreal and frivolous popcorn movie like ‘Attack of the Killer Tomatoes’, which was about what to expect for space Sci-Fi at the time. Now that we know what Star Wars has become, its almost unthinkable it wasn’t always expected to be so!
I managed a 10 minute chat with Paul after getting an autograph from him, it was a total pleasure. He was so generous with him time to talk Star Wars. He shared memories of being on set, having met Harrison Ford before landing the role by happenstance, and Carrie Fisher’s amazing skill at script editing with her ability to pick out incisive inclusions. But I had to ask him specifically about his views on all things Greedo and that scene.
I grew up with the original cut of A New Hope, where in the Han-Greedo scene there was little doubt who shot first. Since then though, we’ve all seen it changed many times with laser blasts being added, timed differently and all sorts. So, I had to ask, who shot first! “Of course he did!”, Paul said, referring to Han. Confirming once and for all the script just said something like ‘Han shoots alien’.
It was fun to get Paul’s reaction to the timeless question. One he admitted to getting asked as often as he signs autographs…but regardless answered with a big smile. Of course, the point isn’t really who shot first but more-so why the scene has been repeatedly changed and what it really means. We agreed that the altering of the scene is a big part of whats made it so iconic over the years, even the ‘Maclunkey’ edit! “What’s that about?!” said Paul with a laugh.
What went down between Han and Greedo, and who shot first, is really a huge moment in Han’s character arc. Shooting first establishes him as truly playing a high stakes game of risk and reward in the dog-eat-dog underworld, a questionable conscience and willing to kill quickly to stay alive, ahead and on the road to riches. This is foundational to the change we see in Han later, putting others first and thinking more about consequence.
Although Paul said he hasn’t seen Harrison in a while, I for one would absolutely want to see that interview, or would be up for that dual photo opportunity! Without Greedo, maybe Han doesn’t land so immediately as a cool, credible and daring smuggler, and later in the saga perhaps his redemption and gradual turn towards putting others and the cause first feels much less significant.
We’ve got alot to thank Greedo for, and thanks to Paul Blake for sharing treasured insights and keeping the intrigue and discussion going!
MTFBWY
