“It’s not the years, honey; it’s the mileage” said a wise archeologist once. I can’t remember which Indiana Jones installment it’s from, but it lingers till this day. So, why wouldn’t we write articles about Indiana Jones, that is also Han Solo and somehow that guy from Blade Runner. Yeah, here’s an ode to Harrison Ford and the troubles he went through, not only to teach us life lessons, but to also remind us we’re all human after all.
Almost Didn’t Become an Actor
I know it may seem like Harrison Ford has always been around, but we almost would have had a different Han Solo. While trying to land bigger roles and make a living out of acting, he was a carpenter. While doing carpentry work for the George Lucas (yes, the one and the same) movie American Graffiti, an audition was arranged and yes, Ford got the part, the rest is history. Lesson number one: better late than never, so don’t give up.
Fell in Love With The Wrong Woman
Once upon a time our dear not that old at that time Harrison Ford was happily married to Melissa Mathison, a screenwriter. They met on the set of Apocalypse Now and got married a few years later. They stayed together for 18 years, but divorced after. And here’s life lesson two: never get married without a prenuptial agreement, because it will cost you! Not only did they settle for 85 million dollars, but the dear old wife wanted a share of Ford’s future earnings from DVD sales and films from their married time. Do I need to tell you that Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Blade Runner etc. were already made at that point? And I should probably mention this was the woman that wrote E.T. of all movies!
Does His Own Stunts – But Isn’t The Best Stuntman
Although he once had the body of a renaissance cathedral, there were also physical hard times: like the times where you perform your own movie stunts and it goes wrong. Yeah, we’re talking about the guy who bruised his ribcage, tore his ACL and suffered from a herniated disk all because Indiana Jones needs to save the world. Ever noticed a limping Richard Kimble in The Fugitive? Ford tore his ligaments while filming, but didn’t want surgery until the movie was finished. Talk about a true champion, no schwalbes here!
Tragedy Runs in the Family
There were not only physical struggles while being busy at being badass, there were also private issues. His daughter, Georgia, suffers from epilepsy. There’s a history of epilepsy in his family, so he knows better than anyone how devastating the disease can be and how it affects your live. At an event for NYU Langone Medical Center’s Find a Cure for Epilepsy and Seizures he said: “I admire her perseverance. She’s my hero.” Right in the feels.
She Was Mostly His Princess
The epic on screen love between Han Solo and Princess Leia in Start wars is timeless. In 1977 they started a real life romance off screen: “It was Han and Leia during the week, and Carrie and Harrison during the weekend” according to Carrie Fisher in “The Princess Diarist”. They didn’t stay together, but remained close friends until Carrie passed away quite unexpectedly – well, not that unexpectedly if you were aware of her lifestyle. While Harrison Ford kept silent when Melissa Mathison died, he gave one of the most graceful and honest statements when Carrie Fisher died. And if we’re being totally honest, Carrie Fisher is the best example that people that indulge in the occasional drug bender aren’t necessarily bad people.
