Automobile Blog

Interview: Harrison Ford

At 63 years old, veteran actor Harrison Ford doesn’t look a day over 50. This tall, confident and matter-of-fact Hollywood legend is in Sydney to promote his new thriller “Firewall”, bringing fiance Calista Flockhart and her young son along for the ride. Mark Beirne sat down with Indiana Jones himself and discovered the serene family man behind the action hero.

Q: You’re renowned for playing heroic roles. Are you a heroic guy off-screen?

A: Yes absolutely. I was able to find time from saving lives this morning to chat with you here, but I’m on call and if anyone needs a hero… No, to be honest with you I don’t understand this at all. I don’t play heroes, I play lawyers or doctors or detectives and if the dramatic circumstances which are the framework of the film call for the character to do something physical, that’s probably where the notion of me picking films in which to play heroes comes from. But I have never picked a film to be part of because I felt the character was a hero.

Q: This is quite a physical role. What sort of training do you do to keep in shape and perform the stunts?

A: I don’t do stunts, I do physical acting. Stuntmen do stunts. You know it’s a stuntman because you’re looking at the back of his head. If it’s me you look at my face. That’s why I do physical acting and arrange these scenes so that I can do them safely and we can capture not just the kinetics but the emotional context.

Q: What was it about the character of Jack that made you go, “I just have to do this film”?

A: It doesn’t work that way, it’s not a question of “I just have to do this role”. There was a script which I thought needed some work so we explored the potential ideas to shape the rewrite, look for a director… it’s process. When I read the first script I said to myself, “This looks like it would be a good armature for audience entertainment”. There’s a lot of things going on here; there’s something in the news (computer security, identity theft), there’s emotional element of a man trying to protect his family, there’s the opportunity for a very good bad guy role. If we can get the right people in this movie, the right director, this could work. So it’s a different order of mindset than “I just have to do this film”.

Q: Most actors would give an arm and a leg to work with you. What actors do you want to work with or have worked with that have inspired you?

A: I haven’t worked with any one-armed or one-legged actors! I don’t have a list of people that I’m dying to work with. It just doesn’t occur to me to think that way. There’s a lot of people out there right now who are a really good batch of young actors coming up, and directors as well.

Q: Do you have a favourite character that you’ve played?

A: No. When hard-pressed I will sometimes give an answer that I don’t really believe. I mean I love “Mosquito Coast” but I’m persistent in saying that I really don’t have favourites. Each of the films are different, made in different places in different points of my life. I’ve been very lucky and very happy to have had the opportunities and experiences that I’ve had.

Q: Outside of film, what are you passionate about?

A: I’m passionate about flying and conservation issues. I work with an organisation named Conservation International; we work in 40 countries. I have a large science program and our strategies are based on science and economic understanding. We’re a very practical organisation and I’m delighted with the success it has had. I’ve been on the board for 15 years.

Q: According to Harrison Ford, what are the three most important things in life?

A: Family. Well-spent time. Achieving a degree of freedom and independence in whatever you do.

“Firewall” is released nationally on March 2.