I have never interviewed the real Harrison Ford.

I was Harrison Ford, or at least I played him in an interview.

At 10 years old I had a major crush on Harrison Ford.  I had a SelectTV cover photo of his Blade Runner pose taped to my bedroom door, and I kissed it daily.  I covered it in puffy stickers.  He was my first teen idol.

As a young girl with an eager best friend, her two sisters, and a tape recorder,  we proceeded to carry out what unknowingly I would find myself doing 30 years later in my life with another set of teen idols.  Interviews.  Only this time I was the interviewee rather than the interviewer. Harrison Ford was first up.

“So Harrison, what was it like working on the movie, ‘Temple of Doom’?”

“It was (dramatic pause) nice.”  Harrison/Amy replied in a deep resounding voice.

My friend’s older sister then wanted to talk about what it was like to kiss my (Harrison’s) co-star Kate Capshaw.

Harrison ceased all further questions at that point.

*****

The other day I watched an interview with the actual Harrison Ford done way back in his Star Wars days.  One of the first interviews he had given along with co-stars Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher.

This was an interesting interview to watch since I have seen Ford interviewed over the years.  I wouldn’t say he was a legendary interviewee.  He plays off easiest with a comedian who can pull things out of him. He is a man of few words and he stumbles around once in a while in attempts to get a story right.

This interview was different. This interview Ford has somehow channeled Solo.  He was the personification of cool, got my shit together and I know it, male.  He sat back, one leg confidently and widely crossed over the other. Stern faced, hair trimmed, nicely dressed.  Just, I guess you would say, tight. He was in control of that interview. Hamill and Fisher sat silent and innocent, hunched down a bit in their seats keeping a close watch on Ford for direction.  Ford knew this.  He had that “let me handle this guy” look to him.  He seemed to have it from the very first question.

Or else he thought he did.

The question was poised about Star Wars and its popularity to which Ford sarcastically replied something along the lines of, “No we don’t get recognized at all so it is really nice.”

However, because of Ford’s then “don’t mess with me” stare, the sarcasm was missed.  Complete silence.  Hamill and Fisher remained speechless.   The interviewer did not get it, in fact there was a bit of a pause.  No doubt the interviewer was thinking to himself, “Is he serious or is he joking?”

It cut to commercial soon after that or at least the clip stopped.

You can’t say the man didn’t try.