If Harrison Ford wasn't rich before, he certainly is now. It seems his return to 'Star Wars' was so essential to the filmmakers that he could be raking in a massive £23 million ($34 million) for reprising Han Solo in 'The Force Awakens'. That happens to be over 70 times more than his younger co-stars.

Harrison FordHarrison Ford is rolling in the millions now

It pays to return to your best known roles in films sometimes. As well as a 0.5% share in the film's earnings, Ford was paid a flat-out rate of £16.7 million ($24.8 million) according to the Daily Mail. And with the expected gross rate of £1.3 billion ($1.9 billion) for the film worlwide, that makes a significant addition to that payout.

In fact, his overall salary is 76 times bigger than newcomer co-stars Daisy Ridley and John Boyega, who play heroes Rey and Finn respectively. They were paid only a meagre £300,000 ($440,000) for their involvement, though we're hardly expecting them to upset about it. It IS 'Star Wars' they got to join after all.

More: Read our review of 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens'

'Harrison is the key to making this movie work', a source from Disney told the Mail. 'He's the link between the old generation and the new. Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher were good to get, but the film could have lived without them. You couldn't make it without Harrison Ford.' If the mentioned earnings weren't enough, Ford also got £1 million ($1.5 million) compensation when he broke his leg on set.

As for why the younger cast members didn't get a look into the millions, it's all about them being new faces. But Ridley does at least have a multi-picture deal. 'Daisy's a virtual unknown, and this is a career-making role, so she'd probably have been willing to take it for free - and Disney knew it', the source added.

Director JJ Abrams landed a cool £3.3 million ($4.9 million) plus a 2% share in film earnings, and Carrie Fisher who plays Princess Leia received just £1 million ($1.5 million).