The scene Harrison Ford asked to change: “Let’s make sure we’re capturing that”
There is perhaps no-one as instantly recognisable and synonymous with the idea of an ‘action hero’ than Harrison Ford, with the actor playing some of the most iconic characters of all time with the likes of Indianna Jones and Han Solo. At the height of his career, the actor was working with the likes of Francis Ford Coppola, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, becoming associated with both sides of the creative coin within the New Hollywood Movement, starring in hugely successful blockbuster projects and independent projects at a time when both were becoming increasingly divided.
Ford has performed many dangerous stunts and scenes over the years, with the actor famously breaking bones and losing teeth during some of his productions, and despite his devil-make-hare approach, there was one scene he refused to shoot.
After joining the industry at a particularly tumultuous time, Ford has seen it all, from temper tantrums on set, creative clashes and bitter feuds between fellow co-stars. Whether it be his work in Blade Runner, Apocalypse Now or American Graffiti, the actor has worked across some of the most influential projects of this decade, becoming a veteran of the industry through his unrivalled list of credits.
However, while he has always embraced the challenges associated with his craft, becoming a precursor to the Tom Cruise brand of acting through his commitment to dangerous stunts and action sequences, there was one scene he just couldn’t get on board with, which was written into the script for Air Force One.
Directed by Wolfgang Peterson in 1997, Air Force One follows President James Marshall as he tries to protect his country and loved ones from Russsian neo-nationalists who hijack an aircraft called Air Force One. The film was created as a satire of American foreign policy, a fairly progressive subject within a traditionally conservative genre. However, the screenwriter of the film Andrew Marlowe described one scene that didn’t make it into the final cut of the film.
When describing this, the writer said, “I had something in the script about, ‘He sits down for a moment just to gather himself.’ And he said, ‘Look, I’m not going to sit down. I appreciate your writing that, but I feel like my family is in crisis and I can’t sit down until it’s over.; He also said something about his character that I really enjoy, because he knows who he is as an actor, and he knows how audiences respond to him. He said, ‘People don’t come to the movies to see me beat up other people. They come to the movie to see me get beaten up and then get up again. So let’s make sure that we’re capturing that when we do this.’
Ford is legendary for his commitment to storytelling and entertainment, and this anecdote just goes to show how much he cares for his audiences and the people that enjoy his work, doing everything in his power to create something believable and lean into the style that fans know and love him for.
