The performance so bad Harrison Ford pretends it never happened: “It doesn’t exist”
Han Solo was the gift that kept on giving for Harrison Ford, with his instantly iconic turn as the spacefaring smuggler turning him from a relative unknown into an overnight superstar, opening countless doors in the process.
There aren’t many actors who wouldn’t be thrilled with grabbing themselves such an iconic role, but when Ford became the intergalactic heartthrob, he also gave himself a career, which would not only include more iconic roles but also make him an unforgettable cultural touchstone.
George Lucas was famously hesitant to reunite with his American Graffiti cast member – with countless big-name actors turning down the part during casting – but it was the success of Star Wars that ultimately gave rise to Indiana Jones after Lucas and Steven Spielberg turned their love of pulp serials into a blockbuster adventure in desperate need of a leading man after Tom Selleck knocked it back.
Playing two of the most indelible heroes in cinema history is an exceedingly rare accomplishment for a performer, which makes it very easy to forget that Ford’s second outing as Han Solo couldn’t have come under more infamously dire circumstances. Lucas may have gone out of his way to block it from either being rerun on television or released on home video, but every self-respecting fan of the franchise is fully aware of the Star Wars Holiday Special.
The creator of the sci-fi saga trying his hardest to pretend it never happened has only seen its status become ever more mythical as a result, especially when co-stars Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher had hardly wasted the opportunity to tear it to shreds anytime the chance was presented to denigrate the one-off festive spectacular that continues to reign supreme as the worst piece of Star Wars content to have ever existed.
C-3PO star Anthony Daniels would even describe as “like being at a weird funeral” to Entertainment Weekly, which could have realistically applied to the careers of its three leads, too: “Poor Mark, poor Carrie, poor Harrison, you can see it on their faces,” he said. “They’re gritting their teeth and it shows; they’re hanging onto each other.”
For some, this movie would end up so deeply ingrained on their minds that they would be unable to work. Of course, we all know you should simply keep moving forward, but Ford might have struggled if he didn’t employ the simple technique of simply refusing to acknowledge the movie exists. A trick that is made all the easier if you have a resume as thick as Ford’s.
For his part, Ford hasn’t directly acknowledged the staggering atrociousness of the Star Wars Holiday Special, but he has gone out of his way to pretend it doesn’t exist. When asked for his memories of shooting by Conan O’Brien, after repeatedly shaking his head, Ford decided to lay his cards on the table: “No, none whatsoever. No, it doesn’t exist.”
The infamous misfire does have one noted supporter, with director Steven Binder, the only high-profile creative, going on record with The Express as the solitary outlier who defended it from criticism: “I’ve always looked back at it in a positive light. I loved working with the entire movie cast, including Harrison Ford and we had a great relationship while we were doing it”.
The filmmaker believes “it’s been so misunderstood after all these years,” even if that puts him firmly in the minority.
