The role Harrison Ford will always regret turning down: “I think I made a mistake”
Life can feel quite transient when looking toward the glitz and glamour of the Hollywood hills. It feels as easily as new stars arrive, others burn out or simply fall out of favour with the public. It means that when true icons of cinema find themselves continuously in work we can provide a small celebration. The legendary Harrison Ford is a true stalwart of the action film game.
From his roles in sci-fi actions like Blade Runner and Star Wars to fantasy epics such as Indiana Jones, Ford has persistently shot, blasted, and swung his way through some of the greatest cinematic action sequences ever filmed. Ford’s position as one of the ultimate action heroes is immovable in comparison to the mainstream influx of movie stars.
However, like many actors, Ford hasn’t just taken up every single role sent his way. He has had to pick and choose the movies he has wanted to do. Ford has had to turn down some big roles in his time as a leading man. Being one of the most sought-after performers of his generation has led to a full schedule, and the acting icon has had to say “no” to some offers in order to take others. Sometimes, those choices have not always paid off.
Ford told The Irish Examiner of one of the biggest regrets of his career, “I saw a bit of Steve Gaghan’s movie Syriana and I wish I’d played the part that was offered to me – George [Clooney’s] part. I didn’t feel strongly enough about the truth of the material, and I think I made a mistake.”
He added, noting how the movie changed from the time he was offered the role to the final product released in cinemas, “I think the film underwent some changes, and I think a lot of it is very truthful. The things that I thought weren’t were obviated after I left the table.”
Syriana was released in 2005, based loosely on former CIA case officer Robert Baer’s 2003 memoir See No Evil. The film had an outstanding cast, including George Clooney, Matt Damon, Jeffrey Wright and William Hurt, and Clooney’s performance was highly lauded, scooping him an Academy Award and a Golden Globe, among other recognitions.
Interestingly, though, Syriana nearly ended George Clooney’s career. During production, Clooney fell and injured his head so badly that spinal fluid began pouring from his nose. Upon returning to the US from the Moroccan filming location, he underwent a hospital check-up but had to wait three weeks for a diagnosis.
He eventually found he had torn a part of his spinal cord and had to undergo 15 blood injections into the cord during a nine-hour surgical procedure. The pain from the surgery caused Clooney to doubt his own life. He told The Hollywood Reporter: “I thought I was going to die. Talk to any doctor about a CSF — a cerebral/spinal fluid leak — and they’ll tell you it’s way up there on the pain scale. There was this whole coming to terms with [mortality].”
In a separate interview with Rolling Stone, Clooney said, “I was at a point where I thought, I can’t exist like this. I can’t actually live.’ I was lying in a hospital bed with an IV in my arm, unable to move, having these headaches where it feels like you’re having a stroke”.
He added: “For a short three-week period, I started to think, ‘I may have to do something drastic about this’.” So perhaps Ford ought to consider himself lucky he didn’t have to go through Clooney’s experience, even if he missed out on performing in a great film.
