Harrison Ford Interview (1979) From ‘Bantha Tracks’ Issue #6
As always, I like to share some interesting interviews related to the Star Wars universe as I come across them. This one is from Bantha Tracks #6 (1979) and with Harrison Ford, just after the filming of The Empire Strikes Back had wrapped.
I found it really interesting to hear from Harrison on his entry to the saga and being typecast as “The sensitive brother, or the bank-robbing brother, or the business brother, or any kind of sensitive brother.”
There are some nice parts about him breaking into acting and getting started in movies too. I found it to be a quite enjoyable read throughout. Everything that follows was grabbed directly from the original newsletter, so the credit goes to the people behind it.
On 18 October, we went to Harrison Ford’s home in the hills above Los Angeles. During our conversation, we discussed his start in motion pictures, his feelings towards his associates on Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back, and his hopes for the future. Below are excerpts from that conversation.
SW: How much acting had you done before Star Wars?
I had done very little stage work. I had done a season in summer stock and one or two plays after that. That was my total stage experience. In the 7, or 8 or 10 years I had been in the business before I did Star Wars, I had done mostly TV, some film, but I had been in about six pictures, had done quite a bit of TV. I stopped doing TV before I started to do Star Wars, because I was afraid, I’d use up my welcome and get type-cast in the same kind of role I was always being offered on TV.
SW: What kind of role was that?
I was either the sensitive brother, or the bank-robbing brother, or the business brother, or any kind of sensitive brother. Or the guy that didn’t do it – the guy they think at the beginning did it. In TV it works this way, they have the scene at the beginning where they think you did it, they come and accuse you, you say, “I didn’t do it”, they go away, then they come back just before the first commercial and say “tell us the story again”. You tell’em a little bit and say, “Honest to God, I didn’t do it” and then they have a commercial. They come back to you, until the end, and they say, “you didn’t do it”.
SW: You did American Graffiti for George Lucas, playing the role of Bob Falfa. Did he call you again for Star Wars, or how did you get the Han Solo part?
I made no effort because George had let it be known to the agents that he wasn’t going to use anybody he’d used in American Graffiti. So I didn’t think about it. I didn’t enter into the picture until about 3 or 4 weeks before they were due to make the decision. I was asked to do a video tape test, which I did, and then they asked me to help them with other people’s video tape test… it seems like I must have done 75. Then I was told they wanted me to do the part, and that was it. I didn’t even have a script.
SW: When you made Star Wars, what did you think of the film and the part you were taking?
I thought it was real good part – the character was humorous, and I thought that those things that weren’t exactly funny in the script, probably would be – I thought it was going to be funny. I didn’t think it was going to have such a wide audience, it was just a good part for me! I never tried to judge whether this was going to be successful or whether people would like it. For me, it was a simple opportunity to play a character that I knew the audience would like. It was the first time a character I had played was so important to the film. It was necessary that this character worked, as necessary for them as it was for me – so, that opens up a kind of atmosphere, a good environment for collaboration.
SW: How did you actually get into movies?
When I first came out here, I wanted to be in movies, I came out here to be in movies, but I didn’t even know what the names of the major motion picture studios were. We stopped in Laguna Beach where we saw the ocean for the first time and rented an apartment. It was close enough to Los Angeles to get a little grubstake. We had taken a month to go across the country, so it was a good rest spot. I did a play in Laguna Beach, John Brown’s Body, and somebody, a man named E.M. Bernard who was doing the music to that play, was also doing the music for Laugh-in and had some link to Columbia Pictures. He asked me if I would like to meet the guy who was head of casting for Columbia. I said “sure, why not” – it was the first time I had ever been in a movie studio.
I went into this huge, panelled office, and there was this guy talking on two phones, and another guy behind him on another two phones, literally, and I sat in a straight-back chair for about 10 minutes while they talked big bucks, big names. They kept switching from one phone to another, covering one mouthpiece, then the other mouthpiece, and shouting back and forth – just like in the movies. You know, I thought they were probably doing it for my benefit – I couldn’t imagine how life could so imitate the movies. But sure enough, it was for real and finally the first guy finishes up and turns to me and says, “What’s your name?”. I said, “Harrison Ford”. He said, “Who sent you?” | said, “E.M. Bernard”. He asks the guy behind him who E. M. Bernard was and the other guy says, “Never heard of him.” He said, “How tall are you?” “6’1, 6’0″ How much you weigh?” “190”- now he’s giving me a little 3 x 5 card to put the information on. “Do you ride a horse?” “Any other special hobbies, talents, etc.” Finally, “thanks, we’ll see ya!” I walked out, went down the hall to the elevators, realized I had to use the bathroom. I went to the bathroom, and when I came out, his assistant is coming down the hall, saying to me, “Come back, he wants to talk to you.” If I’d gone on the elevator, I would have been gone and nobody would have bothered to chase me. When I went back, the first thing the guy says is “How’d you like to be on a contract?” I said, “How much?” The guy says “7-year contract for $150/week.” It wasn’t great, but it was my introduction.
I had been in California for six months, I wanted to be an actor, and all of a sudden, I ‘were’ one. I was working as a carpenter most of the time and was only given occasional acting jobs that I thought would put me in good stead, career-wise. I just wanted to be in good movies- I didn’t care if I did small parts, as long as good movies. I figured that would be the best way for me to learn to act, since being in bad movies didn’t teach you much except to be calm under fire … that’s only the first step. It’s nice to be in good movies, work with good people. So that’s what I decided to do, figuring that nobody would realize that I wasn’t making very much money, and they’d just see me occasionally in a good movie. I would be paying my dues, biding my time, putting food on the table in a less demeaning way than was available to me in acting. I also would begin to be something other than an out-of-work actor, which was great. There’s nothing wrong with being an out-of-work actor, but if it’s the only thing that’s happening in your life, you begin to accept that as what you are, as a definition of what you do. You make a much more attractive employee if you have something else going on other than “me”, which is usually judged to be an embarrassment.
SW: Is science fiction a genre you were familiar with prior to this?
No experience with it, but I didn’t find it any problem to imagine it. I was always keyed into the human context of the relationship. It wasn’t as apparent to some audiences as it was to me that that was an important element. But that doesn’t matter. It’s a necessary foundation for fantasy to have some approach to it, some way of keying yourself into it, some accessible characters. But it’s a very skillful conception, and I found it no trouble to deal with.
SW: How would you compare that with your work on Empire?
The first one was a cakewalk compared to the second one.
The second one was much more difficult.
SW: Was that because of the story, or the people involved, or what?
The relationships become more significant; the points that need to be brought across become more subtle. The first time, a great deal of energy was expended to establish a context for a relatively small story -heavily plotted, really articulately contrived, very fast moving with lots and lots of information, and all kinds of things having to be established. It took a lot of energy and a lot of time, but the second time you come back, all of that is done for you. You can pretty much think that everyone who will see the second one, has seen the first one. So they know who they are dealing with, and you just walk on and start doing the story. But I think it had to be a lot more interesting than the first one, because people were aware of who you were and what you were doing, they got a chance to look at you a little closer. You had to bear up under the scrutiny. It had to be more complex. The characterizations had to be more complex. I felt a sense of responsibility for making it better.
I mean you get a chance to do it over again – the only reason to do it is to do it better. If you can’t do it better, it’s boring. My part was more interesting this time, so I enjoyed myself a lot more this time. The first time was a lot of fun, but this time I enjoyed the work, even though it was more difficult.
SW: How would you compare the two directors, George Lucas and Irv Kershner?
The difference in directors was no problem. Each director brought different qualities to the same circumstances.
George worked more simply, as was appropriate under the circumstances. I think it was a more agonizing task for Kershner. Because of the success of the first one, responsibilities encumbered in making the second one were far greater. I think he did a good job.
SW: What was it like filming in Norway?
Cold and slow. I hadn’t anticipated being there at all. My snow scenes were supposed to be shot on at the sound stage at the studio. I had just arrived in England as they left for Norway, and in no time at all, found myself whisked away to join them in Norway with no preparation, wearing a costume built for conditions on the stage. Another one of those bizarre experiences in life. It wasn’t as bad for the actors as it was for the crew. They were incredibly tough – that English crew. Our shelter was the back of snowmobiles and such and were never able to reach the base camp which they’d established on the glacier because of the weather.
SW: What do you see for yourself for the future, in terms of roles and career?
I’d just like to continue doing interesting work. I don’t have much of a forward view. I don’t anticipate the future too much. Right now I’m enjoying a rest. I don’t know what’s going to be available when I’m rested and so I don’t equip myself with any kind of predisposition, that could as well be disappointed as not. I don’t think about that at all. I would like to do what I’m doing for as long as I can make a living at it and not go totally bats. That’s my ambition.
Alexander has been a lifelong Star Wars fan having started watching with his elder brother in the early 80's through to watching The Phantom Menace with same brother in cinema as a 21 year old with beer.
His love for the franchise has never waned.
A published comic book writer and letterer but when not watching or reading Star Wars is usually hacking computers for work.
Follow on twitter @Muldwych
