3. “I love you. … I know” – Empire Strikes Back
When Leia finally professes her love to Han Solo, we all expected Han to respond with his own admission of love. But instead the scruffy nerd herder says, “I know.”
It was the perfect moment between the two even though Han Solo is about to be frozen in carbonite. They didn’t know if they would see each other again, so they shared their feelings in the way only they could.
Leia was desperate to let Han know how she felt because she knew it could be her only chance at ever telling him. While Han couldn’t let Leia go away with tears in her eyes. Even though he loved her back, he would rather see with a smile as he gets sent into the pit.
While this tends to be looked at more of a scene for Han Solo, it works because of both Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher – and everything they built to that point.
Of course, that’s what makes the scene on the Endor’s Forest Moon work even better. When the Stormtroopers come up on Han and Leia, he says, “I love you.”
She replies with a sly smile, “I know.”