Exclusive Harrison Ford Interview for STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS #StarWarsEvent

As you can imagine, being able to be a part of this exclusive Harrison Ford interview for STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS, during the #StarWarsEvent press junket, was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I mean, it’s THE Han Solo! Once Mr. Ford entered the room, you could feel the anticipation of my fellow bloggers and me. We were almost giddy.

Harrison greeted us with a calm and almost serene demeanor. This was not the sassy and sometimes ornery celebrity we’d seen in prior interviews. Dare I say he exuded qualities similar to the very wise Yoda? Well, there. I just did.

photo credit: MomStart.com

Harrison Ford on The Star Wars Legacy

When asked what it was like to come back into the Star Wars legacy 30 years later, Mr. Ford responded with —

It was familiar. Same thing, only different. I was there in service of a script that I thought was very good. A sort of road map for the character that I thought was worth coming back to, with a director whose work I admired and who I knew from a previous film twenty five years ago.

And it was an all together attractive prospect… (The Force Awakens) acknowledges the reality of the passage of time. It deals with the question of what happened, while I was off stage for 30 years.

So, I’m very grateful for the fact that these were family films that have been passed on as though there were some nugget of useful information, or at least entertainment in them. And recognizing their value to the audience, gives them significance to me.

Harrison Ford Reunites With Carrie and Mark

Harrison admitted he didn’t have any anecdotal stories to share, or favorite memories from the original films, and that he doesn’t have the best memory, in general. But he did say this about his reunion with Star Wars co-stars Hamill and Fisher, and some of the original crew —

It’s great to be back with Mark and Carrie. I spent a little time with them and Peter Mayhew, and a lot of the crew. Some of the older members of the crew have worked on the earlier films. But more often than that, there were sons and daughters of the people who worked on the original film, now in the same craft business and were back to work with us.

And I was back in England. I haven’t made a film in England since the last Indiana Jones movie. And it was fun to be back in England. The food has gotten a lot better.

I wonder if the Pubs have gotten better too. I should have asked him that. Dang it.

photo credit: MomStart.com

Harrison Ford Enjoys The Whiz, Bang and Flash of Star Wars

Harrison wisely shared what he thought was the most appealing thing to Star Wars fans–
The breadth of the imagination that’s involved in these films. The strength and worthiness of the mythology that underpins them, the questions that it generates in our minds about our own responsibilities, our own behaviors, all of that. Plus, whiz and bang and flash, and music and good stuff.

Whiz, bang and flash. Yes to all that, Mr. space pirate.

During the close of the interview, we had a bit of a rapid fire question session with Mr. Harrison Ford. His answers were no less amazing, even with the time constraint.

Q: What do you want the new Generation to take away from Star Wars?
Harrison Ford : Their choice.

Q : What was the most challenging part of the process for this movie?
Harrison Ford: There wasn’t any. I’ve been doing this for a long time and I love doing it. I had a wonderful director. The hardest process is when you and the people you’re working with don’t see eye to eye. We see eye to eye. It was a luxury.

Q : Do you have any props that you’ve kept over the years that are yours?
Harrison Ford : I bought my horse and Daniel Craig’s horse from “Cowboys and Aliens.” I still have mine.

photo credit: MomStart.com

This Is a Service Occupation

After experiencing this event, I had to sit and process it all. Everything Harrison Ford said was a treasure, but I did have one favorite nugget that he shared with us about being a part of this franchise–

A great deal of this is a service occupation. Storytelling is a service occupation, much like being a waiter.
You deliver the food. You don’t bang it on the table in front of them. You wait until the right moment, you slip it down. You keep your eyes scanning the diners. And you are there when you see them beginning to look for you. It’s the same. It’s a public service job, you know.
So it’s not about me. I’m not the customer, but I love working here.

Well, it looks like our dear Harrison Ford isn’t just “in it for the money.”

Tune in Monday, for an exclusive behind the scenes look at our interview with STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS Daisy Ridley.