“Complete and utter disdain”: the Hertfordshire film crew behind Harrison Ford’s most cherished career memory
It’s perfectly on-brand for Harrison Ford, the industry’s favourite grumpy old man, to confirm that his most cherished memory from the movie that launched his career is rooted in abject misery.
If there’s any A-list superstar who epitomises the art of not giving a fuck, it’s Ford. As much as he approves of what Star Wars has done for his career, and as grateful as he is for the life that it’s given him, he grew sick and tired of talking about it a long time ago.
The easiest way to get the most irritated response possible out of the veteran is to ask him about a galaxy far, far away. He’s been growling and grimacing at those lines of inquiry for decades, but since it remains as ingrained in pop culture today as it was back in 1977, he knows that he’ll never be able to escape it.
Of course, there are definitely worse things to be remembered for than playing Han Solo in the sci-fi blockbuster that revolutionised cinema forever, launched a merchandising empire, and transformed Ford from a jobbing bit-part player into a household name, but he didn’t expect to spend 50 years hearing about it everywhere he goes.
George Lucas’ opening salvo was so successful, shattering virtually every existing box office benchmark, that it’s easy to forget how risky it was. The filmmaker was in uncharted territory, special and visual effects-wise, and not everybody in the industry was convinced that it would even be a hit, never mind a transformative moment in Tinseltown’s history.
As you’d imagine, when the cast and crew pitched up at Elstree Studios to begin interior filming on Star Wars, there was plenty of bemusement. The Hertfordshire-based shoot was unlike anything most of the British behind-the-scenes riggers, gaffers, and camera operators had ever seen before, and Ford never forgot.
When asked for his most cherished memory about making the picture, there was only one thing that came to mind. “The complete and utter disdain that our very experienced British crew felt for what we were doing,” he replied, with the locals having no idea what the fuck Lucas was doing, why he was doing it, or why he seemed so convinced that he was on to a winner.
“They couldn’t figure it out,” he explained. “Guy running around in a dog suit, a princess, and some guys in tight pants. They couldn’t figure out what we were doing, so they laughed at us constantly, thought we were ridiculous. And we were, but we made a movie that people really enjoyed seeing.”
That would be an understatement, and the fervour for Star Wars remains almost as strong now as it was in 1977, and despite everything he’s seen, done, and achieved since then, Ford’s favourite memory of the career-defining experience was how much the Hertfordshire-based crew despised what they were seeing.
