Ive been flying for 20 years, and it was a very rare thing to happen, he says.
It wasa mechanical issue.
No fault of the maintenance or anybody else.
Credit: David James/©Lucasfilm 2015
It didnt keep him grounded long.
How did it feel to lift off again?
Fun, Ford says, flashing his eyebrows like you-know-who.
Solo, Finn, and a Creature Known as ‘The Director’.
For millions ofStar Warsfans, it has never been enough that he played Han Solo.
We have wanted Harrison Ford tobeHan Solo.
He told NBCsTodayback then, I was glad to see that costume for the last time.
Lucasfilm
The Proof
First of all, theres the flyboy thing.
Even Ford (grudgingly) admits theres a lot of real pilot in Solo.
Oh, I suppose theres a kind of pride in the mastery of a machine, he allows.
Lucasfilm
Thats one area where they do part company.
I love the one Im with, he says of his various vessels.
I also have five kids, and I dont have a favorite kid.
Dont have a favorite ice cream, or a favorite movie.
Maybe that one there, he deadpans.
Ford does play favorites when it comes to his two most iconic characters.
No doubt, the actor would scowl at this theory, but the similarities pile up.
Exhibit A:Everybody assumes Ford and Solo are both loners, but theyre far from it.
Solo despite his isolating name is a gadfly who knows everyone and has been everywhere.
Exhibit B:Ford and Solo arent just good at making friends, theyre resourceful.
I was mostly concerned about the long ambulance ride to London.
The accident happened at Pinewood Studios, about 20 miles outside the city.
I asked them to bring my cell phone over.
He arranged his own medevac to the hospital.
Darth Vader might call that… destiny.
Pretty much is, yeah, Ford says.
Exhibit C:Ford doesnt get all misty-eyed aboutStar Wars, another trait he shares with Solo.
He was always the cynical member of the original characters, Ford says.
Its what made the interplay between the characters work, he says.
Ford is definitely that last one.
But just for a moment.
We were in the middle of preparing dinner and doing homework, and… Just watching it over our shoulder.
Ford gets why that strikes a nerve.
Is Solo still the smart-ass, or has he become the wise old warrior?
His development is consistent with the character, and there are emotional elements which have occasioned his growth.
Fear not, though.
He seems to still have money issues, for starters.
And accounting for his own behavior.
Theres a lot of the rogue still left in Solo.
Some things dont change.
Ford leans back and smiles.
I think theyre probably talking to the young Han Solo.
What advice would you give to the actor they cast to help him get inside Solos head?
I would say, Talk to your director.
Make it your own.
How do you feel about someone else picking up the blaster?
I never thought about it.
Youve worked as a craftsman, a carpenter, as well as an actor.
Its natural to feel proprietary about something youve helped build, isnt it?
I got other things to worry about.
I got shoes at the cobbler that need to get picked up.
You know, I got a lot of things to think about.
This is exactly the kind of thing that used to drive Princess Leia nuts.
Truth be told, its a bit of a pose.
Well, hes been living with me out back, in the shack, he says.
And Ford has come to some conclusions about whats become of the rascal.
[Thirty-two] years is going to put some rings on the tree, some experience in the bank.
Its best left answered there.
Part of Fords playfulness is pretending hes not playing along.
After all, Han Solo justfrontsat being cold-hearted.
Deep down, hes a softie.
(Even though both the actor and character would hate being called that.)
I said, Just make st up!
Ford says, getting suddenly animated.
I mean, its a movie, man.
You dont fly in space the way you do in an atmosphere.
But then, he recalls having the same questions back when he first entered theStar Warsuniverse four decades ago.
How do you fly this, George?
Ford says, breaking into a nasally, mumbling impersonation of theStar Warscreator.
Move your mouth, George, while youre typing!
Ford stresses that his teasing attitude is not disrespect for the fans.
Well, it was touching, he says now.
I dont know how one could not be moved by that.
He understands the escape, the wonder that these films, and his character, inspire in audiences.
Thats why he doesnt feel ownership of it.
Its not mine, its theirs, he says.
I just work here.
So when diehards fight about who shot first Greedo or Han whats his opinion?
He shakes his head and spreads his arms with a smile.
Knock yourself out, he says.
Have fun with it.
We just have to face this: Hes never going to geek out with us.
What they didnt know was howhefelt.
Im not terribly nostalgic.
Im very practical about what I do and how I do it… another day at the office.
And this is perhaps Fords most profound Solo-ism.
But Fords response will always be a polite, grateful, and stoic, I know.
