Harrison Ford names the most important movie he ever watched: “That changed my life”
Our lifelong dreams often find us in the most unexpected ways. While some are simply born knowing that they want to be an acrobat or actor, others are hit with a sudden realisation or moment of clarity that changes everything.
For many people who decide to pursue careers in the arts, this is often the case. You try to pursue something practical first, telling yourself that you could be a journalist or therapist until you wake up one day and realise you’ve always wanted to be a director. It could also be a steady accumulation of inspiration, watching movies, and then finally landing on the idea that it was acting all along.
While some stars in the business describe their dreams as being things that existed their entire lives, there are others who have specific memories of landing on this ambition. But for Harrison Ford, he described the instantaneous moment that occurred while watching a film that led him to realise he wanted to be a performer.
Success can never come too quickly or too slowly, with stars like Pedro Pascal and Demi Moore proving that the role of a lifetime can never come too late, bursting to the heights of their careers a little later down the line. While some experience a sudden burst during childhood or steadily work from a young age, Harrison Ford found his way into Hollywood the hard way, hustling for many years before reaching staggering heights as the greatest action hero of all time.
Ford was well-compensated for his many years of struggle, eventually becoming the most infamous leading man of his generation through roles as Indiana Jones and Han Solo. However, there was one inspiration that kept him going throughout the beginning of his career, describing the film that sparked his goal to become an actor.
When discussing this, Ford said, “I had never thought of being an actor until I was still 13, 14 years old, when I saw To Kill a Mockingbird. And there was a beautifully realised human story that had an element of social justice as one of its themes. And that was a very powerful influence on me. That changed my life.”
While many know the story from the original novel, the film adaptation captured new audiences. Gregory Peck starred in the lead role as Atticus Finch and brought the book to life. It’s an incredibly nuanced and delicate story that naturally captivates anyone who watches it, catching the attention of a young Harrison Ford and emboldening him in his pursuit of Hollywood success.
It’s interesting that this was the type of filmmaking that inspired Ford, something that was rarely reflected in his own creative choices after starring in huge action franchises and blockbusters over the years. While the actor has had dramatic roles in similarly weighty stories, he has come to be known for a polar opposite genre of cinema, forging an entirely unique path that strayed away from his early passions.
Our dreams often evolve and change shape over the years, leading Ford to have an irreplaceable career that nobody else has come close to.
