Here's a new edition of "Actors at the Box Office", which seeks to explore the actors' trajectory at the box office and analyze their hits and bombs. I already talked about a few, and as I promised, it's Harrison Ford's turn.

Early Life

He attended Ripon College in Ripon, Wisconsin, where he was a philosophy major and a member of the Sigma Nu fraternity. A self-described "late bloomer", Ford took a drama class in the final quarter of his senior year to get over his shyness and became fascinated with acting. Ford was expelled from college for plagiarism four days before graduation.

1960s: It's Not Much, But It's the Best He Can Do

In 1964, after a season of summer stock with the Belfry Players in Wisconsin, Ford traveled to Los Angeles and eventually signed a contract with Columbia Pictures' new talent program. His first known role was an uncredited one as a bellhop in Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round. There is little record of his non-speaking (or "extra") roles in film. Ford was at the bottom of the hiring list, having offended producer Jerry Tokofsky. According to one anecdote, Tokofsky told Ford that when actor Tony Curtis delivered a bag of groceries, he could tell that Curtis was a movie star whereas Ford was not; Ford immediately retorted that if Curtis was truly a talented actor, he would have delivered them like a bellhop. Ford was apparently fired soon after.

In 1967, he had his first speaking role in the Western A Time for Killing, but it was very small, and he was credited as "Harrison J. Ford" (even though he has no middle name). The name was due to a silent film star named Harrison Ford, who died in 1957. Ford later said that he was unaware of the existence of the earlier actor until he came upon a star with his own name on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and soon dropped the "J".

He worked for Universal Studios, playing minor roles in many television series throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s, including Gunsmoke, Ironside, The Virginian, The F.B.I., Love, American Style and Kung Fu. In 1968, he also worked as a camera operator for one of the Doors' tours.

French filmmaker Jacques Demy chose Ford for the lead role of his first American film, Model Shop, but the head of Columbia Pictures thought Ford had "no future" in the film business and told Demy to hire a more experienced actor. The part eventually went to Gary Lockwood. Ford later commented that the experience had been nevertheless a positive one because Demy was the first to show such faith in him.

1970s: So Who Was First?

He had a small role in Getting Straight, a big hit but it hardly moved the needle in his career. Not happy with the roles offered to him, Ford became a self-taught professional carpenter to support his then-wife and two young sons. Clients at this time included the writers Joan Didion and John Gregory Dunne, who lived on the beach at Malibu.

Casting director and fledgling producer Fred Roos championed the young Ford and secured him an audition with George Lucas for the role of Bob Falfa, which Ford went on to play in American Graffiti. Ford agreed to take the role on the condition that he would not have to cut his hair, in case he was offered other film or TV roles set in the "present day" of the 1970s. The character has a flattop in the script, but a compromise was eventually reached whereby Ford wore a Stetson to cover his hair. The film was a huge success, earning $140 million worldwide. He wasn't the lead, but his profile got higher. Lucas was certainly impressed with this Ford fella. Lucas' friend, Francis Ford Coppola, decided to get Ford for a supporting role in his critically-acclaimed The Conversation.

Now let's go back to this Lucas guy.

So Lucas was making a new epic, titled Star Wars. For this film, he wanted unknown stars or relatively unknown. He initially resisted casting Ford as Han Solo, since Ford had previously worked with Lucas on American Graffiti, and was therefore not unknown. Instead, Lucas asked Ford to assist with auditions by reading lines with other actors. Impressed by him, he decided to give him the role, beating other stars like Richard Dreyfuss, Robert De Niro, Nick Nolte, etc.

According to Ford, during the making of the film, he and Mark Hamill would usually fool around and not commit to their work whenever Sir Alec Guinness was not on set. When Guinness was on set, they behaved much more professionally. Ford said he admired Guinness' preparation, professionalism and kindness towards the other actors. He recalled that Guinness had "a very clear head about how to serve the story."

But don't think it was a very pleasant experience. Ford found the dialogue to be very difficult, saying, "You can type this shit, but you can't say it." One line he particularly struggled with was, "It'll take a few moments to get the coordinates from the navi-computer." He estimated that it took 15 takes to say it right.

Then against every possible expectation, Star Wars broke every record in existence. It became the highest-grossing film of all time back then, with re-releases pushing the film to a colossal $775 million worldwide. Adjusted for inflation, the film made $2.2 billion in the domestic market. The film was hailed as one of the most groundbreaking and influential films of all time, elevating the profile of all stars attached. And Ford was by far the biggest of the bunch.

This popularity subsequently helped his follow-up films. He had a supporting role in the drama Heroes (filmed before Star Wars), but Universal started pushing his presence and the film was a big hit despite negative reviews. Force 10 from Navarone wasn't that lucky however.

To finish the decade, he had three films. Hanover Street didn't fare well, and his attempt at comedy with Gene Wilder in The Frisco Kid failed as well. But he had a small role in Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now, playing Colonel Lucas (named after George Lucas). James Caan originally got the role, but he wanted too much money, so Coppola got Ford instead. It was a critical and commercial hit, earning $150 million worldwide.

Ford began the decade on a rough note, and finished as a big star.

1980s: THE Star

Ford returned as Han Solo for The Empire Strikes Back. He was not contracted to return, but agreed to return because he wanted to improve on his Star Wars performance. The confession of love between Leia and Han was originally scripted with Han's response being "Just remember that, 'cause I'll be back". Between takes, Kershner and Ford discussed this scene, with Kershner initially insisting on a pared down "I'll be back". At Ford's suggestion, Han's response to Leia's confession of love became "I know", which was used in the finished film. The Empire Strikes Back was a huge box office success, and despite starting with mixed reactions, it eventually earned critical acclaim and it's now among the greatest sequels of all time.

Steven Spielberg and George Lucas started working on a new film, based on their love for serial films. They created the character "Indiana Jones", an archaeology professor and adventurer. Tom Selleck was their top choice, but CBS picked up Magnum P.I. to series, preventing him from doing the film.

Spielberg said Ford was perfect for the role after seeing him in The Empire Strikes Back; Ford had always been considered but not cast because he was already a well-known actor, while Lucas wanted a lesser-known star. Lucas was concerned about seeming reliant on Ford by casting him in another film after Star Wars, and he also did not think he would commit to three films. However, Ford thought it would be a fun project and agreed to the deal. He negotiated a seven-figure salary, a percentage of the gross profits, and the option to re-write his dialogue.

Ford undertook extensive exercise to enhance his physique and trained for several weeks under stunt coordinator Glenn Randall to use a bullwhip, becoming proficient enough to disarm the Monkey Man; his wrist had to be rehabilitated to compensate for an old injury. Ford's interpretation of the character was as an academic first and an adventurer second.

Stuntman Terry Richards, who portrayed the swordsman nonchalantly dispatched by Indiana Jones, spent weeks practicing sword skills for an extended fight scene. Ford was unable to perform for long periods while suffering from dysentery, and it was decided to shorten the fight scene significantly.

Raiders of the Lost Ark started slow with $8 million, but it had insane legs. It eventually ended with an incredible $248 million domestically and $389 million worldwide. The film earned high acclaim, and it was named as one of the greatest films of all time. Ford now had two iconic main characters to his name. Proving that Star Wars was not going to be an exception to his box office performance.

With so much good will, he starred in Ridley Scott's sci-fi noir Blade Runner, playing former cop Rick Deckard, who hunts down synthetic humans known as replicants. Ford was ultimately chosen for several reasons, including his performance in the Star Wars films, Ford's interest in the Blade Runner story, and discussions with Steven Spielberg, who was finishing Raiders of the Lost Ark at the time and strongly praised Ford's work in the film. Following his success in those two films, Ford was looking for a role with dramatic depth.

There were some troubles on set. Ford revealed, "Blade Runner is not one of my favorite films. I tangled with Ridley." Apart from friction with the director, Ford also disliked the voiceovers: "When we started shooting it had been tacitly agreed that the version of the film that we had agreed upon was the version without voiceover narration. It was a fucking nightmare. I thought that the film had worked without the narration. But now I was stuck re-creating that narration. And I was obliged to do the voiceovers for people that did not represent the director's interests. I went kicking and screaming to the studio to record it." In 2006, Scott was asked "Who's the biggest pain in the arse you've ever worked with?" He replied: "It's got to be Harrison ... he'll forgive me because now I get on with him. Now he's become charming. But he knows a lot, that's the problem. When we worked together it was my first film up and I was the new kid on the block. But we made a good movie." A point of discussion was the idea of whether Deckard was a replicant; Scott said he was, but Ford maintained he is human.

Warner Bros. was banking on Ford's star power to propel Blade Runner to success. The film had an okay start, but it didn't have great legs, eventually closing with just $41 million worldwide, not recouping its budget. Critical reactions were mixed, particularly over its pacing and characters. But eventually, the film's reputation grew, becoming one of the most acclaimed and influential sci-fi works of all time.

But what if I told you that Blade Runner wasn't Ford's only sci-fi that year? He had a cameo role in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial as Elliott's school headmaster after Spielberg and Melissa Mathison, the writer and also Ford's girlfriend at the time, had heavily lobbied him to make an appearance. It featured his character reprimanding Elliott for his behavior in biology class and warning of the dangers of underage drinking. He is then taken aback as Elliott's chair rises from the floor, while E.T. is levitating his "phone" equipment up the stairs with Gertie. Ford's face is never seen. During post-production, Spielberg cut the scene because it felt distracting. The scene was included in the LaserDisc release, and it's available online.

The question of whether Ford would return for Return of the Jedi arose during pre-production. Unlike Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher, Ford was not contracted for two sequels, and he was a much bigger star than both of them. It is said that Han was frozen in carbonite in The Empire Strikes Back because the filmmakers were unsure whether the character would return. Lucas did not expect Ford to return, and Han was initially not in the script. However, producer Howard Kazanjian ultimately convinced Ford to return.

Ford felt that Han should die through self-sacrifice in the film. Lawrence Kasdan agreed, and said it should occur near the beginning of the third act, to make the audience wonder whether the other protagonists will survive. Gary Kurtz, who produced Star Wars and Empire but was replaced by Kazanjian for Jedi, said that Han died in an early version of the script. Kurtz has suggested that one reason Lucas may have rejected the idea of Han dying was that it would not be good for merchandising. The film would end up being another box office hit, even if it was considered weaker than the prior films.

Ford returned as Indiana Jones for Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom in 1984. As he knew that he would spend a large portion of film shirtless, Ford underwent a strict weightlifting regimen to prepare for the film. He credits being in such good shape for his quick recovery from a back injury while filming. The film was very successful at the box office, earning $333 million worldwide. Response was mostly positive, but a lot of people complained about the film's violence.

In 1985, Ford starred in Peter Weir's thriller Witness, playing a police detective protecting an Amish woman and her son, who becomes a target after he witnesses a brutal murder in a Philadelphia railroad station. Studios were uninterested in a "rural movie", and even when Ford joined the film, it still faced problems. Ford selected the song for the "serenade" scene, "Wonderful World" by Sam Cooke. Weir said that since Ford had to sing and dance to it, he should be able to choose the song. Witness was a success, earning $116 million worldwide and earning high acclaim. For this film, Ford got his first Oscar nomination for Best Actor. Unfortunately, it'd be his last nomination.

Greatly enjoying working with Weir, Ford immediately signed up for his next film, The Mosquito Coast. But unlike Witness, this film didn't perform well at the box office, becoming one of his least-attended films ever, despite positive reviews. Nevertheless, Ford defended the film and said his experience with Weir was one of the best he had as an actor, "It's the only film I have done that hasn't made its money back. I'm still glad I did it. If there was a fault with the film, it was that it didn't fully enough embrace the language of the book. It may have more properly been a literary rather than a cinematic exercise. But I think it's full of powerful emotions."

In 1988, he starred in Roman Polanski's thriller Frantic. Despite positive reviews, it wasn't a box office success. That same year, he ventured into the unknown: rom-coms. He starred in Mike Nichols' Working Girl, opposite Melanie Griffith and Sigourney Weaver. He wanted to try something different and wanted to work with Nichols for a long time. The film earned critical acclaim and grossed $102 million worldwide.

To finish the incredibly busy decade, Ford returned as Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Ford said he loved the idea of introducing Indiana's father because it allowed him to explore another side to Indiana's personality, "These are men who have never made any accommodation to each other. Indy behaves differently in his father's presence. Who else would dare call Indy 'junior'?" The film earned high praise, and earned $474 million worldwide, more than the prior films.

This is the decade that cemented Ford as one of the biggest draws in the world. Very few misses, and even his failures eventually got their dues.

1990s: Is This Your President?

To kick off the decade, he starred in the legal thriller Presumed Innocent. When he was hired to direct the film, Alan J. Pakula only offered the role to Ford, believing that the actor possessed an "everyman quality" that best suited the character. Author Scott Turow was initially uncertain of Ford portraying Rusty but relented after seeing a few of the actor's films. Ford said, "Friends warned me this was a tough role because Rusty is such a passive, interior character. Though Rusty's in every scene, all the action takes place around him. Things happen to him." It earned positive reviews, and earned $221 million worldwide.

The following year, he reteamed with Mike Nichols on Regarding Henry. Unlike Working Girl, however, it earned mixed reviews, although it was a minor box office success. Around that point, Ford was scheduled to star in an action-historical film titled Night Ride Down, where he would have portrayed a Pullman Company executive whose daughter was kidnapped during a labor strike of the 1930s. Paramount Pictures shelved the project due to the 1990s recession, and after Ford quit the film over script changes he disagreed with.

In 1992, he took over the role of Jack Ryan in Patriot Games, replacing Alec Baldwin. Details over Baldwin's exit vary; some say the producers replaced him after he chose to play in theater, while Baldwin claims Ford vouched for the role behind his back (for which he has resented him ever since). Ford was favored by both the studio and the director John McTiernan (before he exited the film) due to a large debt the studio owed to him from Night Ride Down. McTiernan had originally desired Ford in the role in the first film and confirmed that "there was a great deal of scheming that went on to push Alec out of that part." Ford signed a $9 million three-picture contract to play Ryan after Baldwin's departure. The film proved to be a critical and commercial success.

Subsequently, he starred as Dr. Richard Kimble in the action thriller The Fugitive, based on the iconic TV series. Ford had long expressed interest in the role when Stephen Frears was previously in talks to direct. According to Ford, he pursued the role of Kimble in part due to his preference for playing characters dissimilar to him, as well as a desire to grow a beard or moustache for a role, something then-Warner Bros. Pictures chairman Robert A. Daly had repeatedly prevented on the grounds that he was "paying for Harrison Ford's face" and wished to see it unobstructed by facial hair. The Fugitive continued Ford's winning streak, earning a fantastic $368 million worldwide and earning critical acclaim, as well as Oscar nominations.

He returned as Jack Ryan for Clear and Present Danger, which was considered an improvement over Patriot Games and ended up making $215 million worldwide, more than the prior films. He also tried rom-coms again with the Sabrina remake; motivated by a desire to move away from his action-oriented screen persona, he sought a "change of pace" and deliberately pursued a romantic role. But the film disappointed at the box office with just $87 million worldwide, and earned mixed reviews, widely considered as a very unnecessary remake.

1997 was very busy with two films. The first was the thriller The Devil's Own, starring opposite Brad Pitt. Pitt wasn't considered big enough to carry the film, so he approached Ford to play the supporting role of Tom O'Meara. Ford read the script and agreed to play the part, though that meant the script had to be rewritten to create a fuller role for Ford and a more complicated relationship between the characters played by the two men. Despite two recognizable names, the film earned unfavorable reviews and was a box office disappointment, especially in North America.

But that same year, he also starred in Air Force One, playing the American President who fights terrorist that have hijacked the Air Force One. The film was well-received and earned a great $315 million worldwide. When it comes to best fictional Presidents, James Marshall is often named as the best.

To close the decade, he starred two films. First, it was the adventure comedy Six Days, Seven Nights opposite Anne Heche. Heche was almost dropped out of the film due to her then-relationship with Ellen DeGeneres, until Ford stepped in. He said "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn who you're sleeping with. We're gonna make the best romantic comedy there is, and I'll see ya on the set." Ford is a certified pilot and did his own flying in the film, after fulfilling the insurance company's training requirements. Despite mixed reviews, it earned $164 million worldwide. Unfortunately, Random Hearts was a critical and commercial dud.

This was an incredible decade for Ford. So many hits, very few films missing the mark. Showing that he was one of the biggest stars of the decade.

2000s: Nuking It

To begin the new century, he starred in Robert Zemeckis' horror What Lies Beneath, opposite Michelle Pfeiffer. Ford signed on to star in the film in the summer of 1998, even agreeing to clear room in his schedule for the project and dropping out of The Perfect Storm. The film earned mixed reviews, but was a big success, earning $291 million worldwide. With this film, Ford became the first actor to have $100 million domestic grossers released across four decades.

When Steven Soderbergh tried to get Traffic greenlit, 20th Century Fox agreed to give him a big budget but only if Ford starred, which would require him to drop his usual $20 million salary. Ford met with Soderbergh to flesh out the character, while writer Gaghan agreed to rework the role, adding several scenes to the screenplay. Eventually, Ford turned it down and the role went to Michael Douglas. Ford would also later turn down Gaghan's directorial effort Syriana, with his role going to George Clooney. He would later regret that decision, "I didn't feel strongly enough about the truth of the material and I think I made a mistake."

Ford was also expected to return as Jack Ryan in The Sum of All Fears. But in the summer of 2000, he decided to not return, as he and director Phillip Noyce didn't like the scripts they were given. His role was recast with Ben Affleck, with Ford giving him his blessing.

Ford starred in Kathryn Bigelow's submarine film K-19: The Widowmaker, but it earned mixed reviews and became one of the year's biggest flops. Despite its status, he said this was one of the most fun experiences he had. And his venture into buddy cop with Hollywood Homicide didn't pan out either. Throughout filming, Ford and Hartnett reportedly did not get along. Things apparently got so tense that the two wouldn't even look each other in the eye when sharing scenes together, with Ford calling Hartnett a "punk" while Hartnett responded by calling Ford an "old fart". They reportedly carried over the feud into the promotional tour for the film. His back luck continued with Firewall.

It took a while, but Ford reprised his role as Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in 2008, filming when he was 64 years old. While he had to take a diet, he was already taking care of his body since the last film, as he was hoping for another film. Ford felt his return would also help American culture be less paranoid about aging (he refused to dye his hair for the role), because of the film's family appeal, "This is a movie which is geared not to [the young] segment of the demographic, an age-defined segment [...] We've got a great shot at breaking the movie demographic constraints." The hype was still there, as it grossed an incredible $786 million worldwide. Critics were positive, but audience response was much more negative.

He also tried the smaller route by starring in the drama Crossing Over, but it became his lowest-grossing film by a wide margin.

The decade was so-so. He was still popular, but the amount of under-performers were notable.

2010s: That's Not How the Force Works!

Ford didn't get off to a great start this decade, thanks to the poor performances of Extraordinary Measures and Morning Glory. This led so many people to question whether Ford still had it in him to helm another hit; besides Indiana Jones, his last hit was 10 years ago.

The following year, he starred in Cowboys & Aliens, opposite Daniel Craig, and marking his first Western since 1979. Jon Favreau had cast Craig and Ford in the film because they were actors who suited the action-adventure roles so the characters would be less seen as comedic. He compared Ford, in particular, with John Wayne in having "a sense of history" with the actor and the role. As Ford is well known for playing Indiana Jones, the filmmakers wanted to avoid giving him a cowboy hat that would remind audiences too much of Jones. The film earned mixed reviews and also flopped with just $174 million worldwide, barely above its budget, making it one of the biggest flops of the year.

In 2013, he pivoted to supporting roles, to varying results. Paranoia was a dud that became one of his worst performers, while Ender's Game was one of the year's biggest failures. He also had a cameo in Anchorman 2. At least, he found a modest success in the biopic 42. But the following year, his appearance in The Expendables 3 didn't change much for the film. Although The Age of Adaline was a modest performer.

After 32 years, he was ready to come back as Han Solo in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. If you read this write-up, you know that Ford reiterated that he had argued the character should die for 30 years, commenting “Finally, I wore them down." The film broke so many records, becoming the highest-grossing domestic release and crossing $2 billion worldwide.

And after 35 years, he returned as Rick Deckard in Blade Runner 2049. Gossip about Ford's participation had been circulating in the media since the project's conception, claims which the producers initially denied, having only approached the actor for a part in 2014. Alcon did not publicly announce their signing until the following year. Ford had expressed interest in reprising his role in past interviews and was enthusiastic about the Blade Runner 2049 script. The working conditions on set were another aspect of the production pleasing to Ford, in contrast to the stressful shooting environment endured on Blade Runner. Ford stated the 35-year passage of time, plus the synthesis of a new story with Deckard's already-established backstory, lent context necessary to playing his aged character. Against all odds, the film earned critical acclaim, which was a very complicated bar to clear. Unfortunately, despite earning $259 million worldwide, it wasn't enough to be considered a success. But Ford is very proud of the film, and said he would absolutely return for a third film.

To conclude the decade, he had his first voice role in a film, The Secret Life of Pets 2. It was a box office success with $431 million worldwide, but it marked a steep drop from the original. He also had an uncredited cameo appearance in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

This decade was stronger than the prior week, but it also showed Ford was comfortable in trying supporting roles.

2020s: You're Not Steve Rogers!

Ford starred in the adventure film The Call of the Wild. It earned mixed reviews, and it had its run cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic, tapping out at $111 million worldwide.

Around this point, he did a new transition: moving to TV. He starred in Taylor Sheridan's 1923, a prequel to Yellowstone, which broke a lot of viewership records for Paramount+. And he also had a lead role in the Apple TV+ dramedy Shrinking. Ford said he took the role because he wanted to try new things after a period of not doing as much work as he wished due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ford has earned very high praise for his performance in Shrinking, and he was nominated for 2 Emmys.

Ford still wanted another Indiana Jones film, because he felt Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was not good enough to be his character's send-off. Recasting the role was not an option as Ford said, "I'm Indiana Jones. When I'm gone, he's gone." For the film's opening sequence, Ford was de-aged with ILM using his prior performances as reference. He was somewhat "spooked" by the de-aging process, but was nonetheless impressed. The film earned a mixed-to-positive response, but it made just $383 million worldwide, becoming a huge financial failure.

Ford said that the film's financial disappointment was because "shit happens" and claimed responsibility for its realization, arguing that he was the one who felt that there was still another story to tell with the title character suffering the consequences of the life he chose to have, hence his desire to play him again one last time and expressing his happiness for making the film.

In 2025, he joined the MCU by playing President Thaddeus Ross in Captain America: Brave New World. He replaced William Hurt, who had portrayed the character in the MCU and was set to star in the film before his death in 2022, and Hurt was very eager to finally play Red Hulk. The writers considered changing course with Ross's role in the film following Hurt's death, believing no actor would want to take over from him. During that time, Ford reached out to Kevin Feige about possibly joining the MCU and agreed to take on the role without seeing a script. Ford saw playing Ross as an opportunity to honor what Hurt had done with the character and also continue with a character arc that he had enjoyed from the previous films. The film earned $415 million worldwide, a figure that was considered disappointing, and earned mixed reviews.

HIGHEST GROSSING FILMS

He starred in 51 released films, but only 50 have reported box office numbers. Across those 51 films, he has made $11,244,844,342 worldwide. That's $220,487,143 per film.

ADJUSTED DOMESTIC GROSSES

The Verdict

Insanely realiable.

Ford was not the big star he was hoping to be at first, and he almost gives up on the profession to become a carpenter. But George Lucas sees potential in him for American Graffiti, entrusting him to take the role of Han Solo in Star Wars. From that point on, Ford's career massively spiked.

From the 80s onwards, Ford was one of the biggest names in the world. He was lucky that Lucas changed his mind about casting him in Raiders of the Lost Ark, as that showed Han Solo wasn't gonna be his only iconic character. And while it took a while for Blade Runner to get its due, it also became an influential part of cinema. And then more and more roles, nearly all of which were incredibly successful. 13 films above $300 million, 18 films above $200 million and 28 films above $100 million says it all. Not many stars in their 80s can say they remain highly popular.

Yeah, the new century has been hit-and-miss, and he hasn't had a live-action hit since The Force Awakens. But Ford is bigger than this, and no amount of flops or failures can change his legacy or persona. He can now do whatever he wants, as you can see by how much fun he has in Shrinking. A lot of people think he's grumpy and while he certainly gives off that vibe, it's more having to do with having to answer thousands and thousands of question regarding "so... Han shot first?" rather than wanting to talk about some of his other films.

So that leaves the question: how did Ford became such a big name and bankable star, compared to his co-stars Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher? It all boils down to charisma and range. Ford was not playing variants of Han Solo, he was trying different things. His performance in Star Wars is different from Raiders, which is different from Blade Runner, which is different from Witness, which is different from Working Girl, which is different from The Fugitive, which is different from Clear and Present Danger, which is different from What Lies Beneath, which is differerent from...

You get my point, right? Ford was working with highly-respected directors and wanted material that would challenge him, but would also connect with audiences. Maybe things would've been different if Tom Selleck originally did Raiders as expected, but we'll never know. He just has too many incredible films to his resume, there's literally a Harrison Ford film for everyone. He is a fucking Legend and one of the most important movie stars since the 70s.