How a new suit helped Harrison Ford break down LGBTQ+ boundaries
Long before he was Han Solo or Indiana Jones, Harrison Ford was merely an actor trying to make ends meet, although it was a phenomenal run of three consecutive films that elevated him from unknown to superstar in short order.
The first major role of his career came in George Lucas’ coming-of-age dramatic comedy American Graffiti, which ended up landing multiple Academy Award nominations, including ‘Best Picture’ and ‘Best Director’, before exiting cinemas as one of the most profitable movies ever made.
His next big screen credit came in Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘Best Picture’-nominated conspiratorial classic The Conversation, which Ford followed by reuniting with Lucas once again for Star Wars, the highest-grossing release in history and a certifiable pop culture juggernaut that’s never ceded from the spotlight since 1977.
All three made expert use of his natural charm, undeniable charisma, and effortless screen presence, but The Conversation saw Ford make a decision regarding his character that went against the Hollywood grain at the time. It was never discussed on-screen, mentioned by anyone in the film, or talked up by those close to the production, but the actor took it upon himself to play Martin Stett as gay.
Although a straight performer playing a gay character is something that stokes the flames of discussion through a modern lens, it goes without saying things were different in the 1970s. As Ford recalled, “There was no role there until I decided to make him a homosexual,” which both gave him a handle on the character and allowed him to play Stett as more than another face in the crowded ensemble.
Ford had unsuccessfully auditioned for the role of Mark that went to Frederic Forrest, but after landing a much smaller spot on the roster, he made the most of the opportunity. It wasn’t in the script, but he developed an entire interior life for Stett that was never acknowledged in an overt sense, but by spending almost a thousand dollars on a brand new green flannel suit as part of developing his take on the part, he was determined to stand out.
He informed Coppola that he was playing the part of being a gay man, and the director was fully on board with his deviations from what was on the page. Needless to say, openly LGBTQ+ characters were hardly a fixture of American cinema when The Conversation was released in 1974, but whether it’s through his dress sense, subtle mannerisms, or the fact he bakes Christmas cookies for the office, it’s clear Stett was intentionally coded as such.
It wasn’t exactly breaking down barriers, but in an era where openly gay characters were pretty much a non-factor in the highest-profile productions coming out of Tinseltown, it was a bold move on Ford’s part to take it upon himself to play Stett the way he’d envisioned.
