A Hotel Served As The Set For Hoth In The Empire Strikes Back

Hamill said the original location for the scene was 90 minutes away on a blue-ice glacier, but they ended up shooting 30 feet from the hotel they were all staying in because of the weather. He said:

“I was very excited to see [the glacier location], and then, as happens in filmmaking, it was one of the worst snowstorms in I don’t know how many years. We wound up filming right outside the lodge. I mean, if you turned the camera around you saw people on their balconies having their hot chocolate as Harrison [Ford] and I were acting next to a dead Tauntaun.”

Those people have probably been dining out on those stories since 1979. The costumes for the Hoth scenes might have looked warm, but that was largely for show. Hamill mentioned how “bundled up” the crew was in goggles and face coverings. “I would stay bundled up right until we had to shoot, then the protective gear would come off and obviously the wardrobe is designed to look good but not actually be practical in terms of keeping you warm in those conditions.”

The shoot began in Finse in March, where the average temperature is approximately 26 degrees Fahrenheit with an average low of roughly 15 degrees. When you’re shooting outside for a long time, that isn’t going to be comfortable. Harrison Ford was also stranded at one point in the snow. 

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