He’s a living legend, an actor in a club of two (along with Sylvester Stallone) who has opened a film at number 1 in six consecutive decades, and even into his 80’s he’s forging new ground as he not only picks up a second Emmy nomination for his role in Shrinking, but continues to make bold choices in unforgettable roles. Of course we’re talking about Harrison Ford, and here – in an expansive interview that covers his entire career – he discusses the last film he auditioned for, and it’s a bit of a classic.
B: George Lucas once said, “I think the experience of the ‘Star Wars’ films, especially the first one, and working with a lot of British actors, mellowed Harrison out as an actor.” Do you agree with that?
HF: I could agree with it, but it doesn’t matter. [Laughs] There was Alec Guinness [who played Obi-Wan Kenobi], a very generous and very funny guy. He was the kind of guy who said, “Where are you staying?” I said, “I don’t know, I haven’t found an apartment yet.” He said, “Well, what are you looking for? Can I help? Maybe ask some of my friends?” That mellowed me out a little bit. But I don’t know that it changed my acting. I don’t think I understood enough about acting at that point in my career to make that kind of adjustment.
B: You’re on so many lists of actors who broke out “later in life” because “Star Wars” debuted when you were 34. Did it feel like success found you late at the time?
HF: It came partially out of my choice not to work when I didn’t have something that I thought was going to progress my so-called career. That’s why I took up carpentry, so I could turn down acting jobs that I didn’t want to do. Everything changed when I became a carpenter. I didn’t have the inclination to change my clothes to match the character. It was just, I’m going to go to this [audition] and talk to this guy, and if he didn’t like what I did, I’ll just go back to work. I’ve got things to do. I did not display the neediness of the out-of-work actor. It is a considerable strain on your life. Having another way to put food on the table for my family gave me the independence I needed to make choices about my career.
B: What was the last thing you auditioned for?
HF: Well, you might call it an audition. George Lucas called me up one afternoon and said, “Read this script and then go over to Steven Spielberg’s house and meet him.” That turned out to be “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” I read the script, went over to Steven’s house, spent about an hour there, and I had the job. That’s the last time I ever auditioned.
But when you talk to somebody about a movie or a story, you are auditioning. It’s a question. Are you and I talking about the same things here? Do you understand the depth of your feelings about this thing? Are we really going to be engaging together on this project? That’s an audition, in a way.