Here are 10 things you didn’t know about Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford was hospitalized on Thursday after crash landing a plane in Venice, California. The 72-year-old actor crash landed a golf course after something went mechanically wrong. He was transferred to UCLA Hospital where he was listed in “fair to moderate” condition, to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
But, the actor has made his mark in Hollywood for nearly 50 years. Here are 10 things you did not know about Harrison Ford.
10 Things You Didn’t Know About Harrison Ford
1. The legendary fight scene
Credited with “creating” what many believe to be the best scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark(1981) because he was suffering from a bout of dysentery at the time of filming: during the scene in Cairo with the swordsman in black, the script called for a much longer fight, but because of his condition, he quietly asked director Steven Spielberg if they could shorten the scene. Spielberg’s reply was that the only way it could be done would be if Indy pulled out his gun and “just shot the guy.” The rest of the crew, not aware of the change, laughed at this, and it remained in the final cut.
2. Acting Style
Harrison Ford frequently plays characters who use their intelligence rather than physical strength. In addition, Ford’s characters are known for taking a lot of hits and enduring a lot of pain in action films. His voice is typically deep, soft and soothing which lends to his charming personality on screen.
3. Back Injury
He suffered a back injury while filming Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) and underwent an experimental (at the time) disc operation utilizing a papaya enzyme. While he was away Steven Spielberg filmed around him as best he could, including most of the conveyor belt scene, using Vic Armstrong, a British-born stuntman who looked so much like Ford that members of the crew were always confusing the two. Ford resumed doing his own stunts upon his return, and his close-ups were added later into the finished film.
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4. He was a popular carpenter in Los Angeles
Worked as a carpenter in Los Angeles before achieving fame in movies, mainly doing home remodeling work. Had a reputation as one of the best cabinetmakers in the city, and his services were much in demand on Los Angeles’ trendy Westside long before he became a movie star.
5. Harrison Ford’s role on E.T. was cut.
Had a role as the school principal in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) who reprimands Elliott about the dangers of alcohol. The scene was cut because director Steven Spielbergfelt that Ford’s presence would break the flow of the film. The only footage known to exist appeared in The E.T. Storybook released at the same time as the film.
6. Harrison Ford hated working on ‘Blade Runner’
Said that Blade Runner (1982) was one of the most frustrating films he had ever done, because the actual shoot was very grueling and because of the post-production changes which were meant to (but didn’t) help the film do better at the box office.
LucasFilm
7. Star Wars
Out of the three leads of the original Star Wars trilogy, he was the only one to appear in all three films without ever signing a contract. In addition, Carrie Fisher had to stand on a box for most of her scenes with him in the original Star Wars trilogy because she was a foot shorter than him and did not properly fit into the frame.
8. Jurassic Park
Was offered the role of Dr. Alan Grant in Jurassic Park (1993) but turned it down. The role went to Sam Neill instead.
9. The Scar
Has a scar on his chin which he got in 1968 when he tried to “buckle up” while already driving, and lost control of the car. The scar has been explained in two of his films: in theRiver Phoenix introductory sequence in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), an inexperienced young Indy hits himself in the chin the first time he tries to use the whip; and in Working Girl (1988), he first says that he got the scar in a knife fight, then admits that the true story is that he knocked his chin on a toilet after fainting during an ear-piercing.
10. He lost his teeth doing stunts
Revealed on the Late Show with David Letterman (1993) that he has some false teeth; two were pulled by a dentist after some others were damaged when he fell on a gun during a stunt for a television appearance early in his career.
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