The “piece of total dogshit” movie Harrison Ford only made because he was out of options
It’s easy to assume that once George Lucas’ Star Wars was released in the summer of 1977 and changed cinema forever, Harrison Ford was instantly propelled to the top of the A-list and had his pick of the parts.
However, that wasn’t the case. Much like the regular criticisms lobbied at Marvel Studios today, which Quentin Tarantino fully supports, the cast didn’t necessarily emerge as ready-made stars. Instead, the visual effects, the brand, and the awe-inspiring escapism were credited with the sci-fi blockbuster’s success.
While it’s undeniably handy for any up-and-coming actor to get a historic box office win under their belt, even one with ‘Best Picture’ nominees American Graffiti and The Conversation to their name, like Ford, the floodgates didn’t suddenly open and transform him from potential superstar into an undeniable one.
He didn’t have to wait too long for it to happen, though, with The Empire Strikes Back and Raiders of the Lost Ark releasing in consecutive years getting the job done, but Ford was the first to admit that his post-Star Wars prospects weren’t immediately rosy, leading him into one particularly regrettable picture.
The first job he booked after debuting as Han Solo was Force 10 from Navarone, the less star-studded 1978 sequel to the star-studded 1961 original, which boasted Gregory Peck, David Niven, Anthony Quinn, and Richard Harris among its ensemble. No offence, but Carl Weathers, Richard Kiel, and Franco Nero weren’t quite on the same level.
“I saw the success of the first film as an opportunity to diversify,” he said per JW Rinzler’s The Making of The Empire Strikes Back. “To become known as an actor, not a person attached to Star Wars, which could have given me a beginning and an end to my career, but no middle.”
Ford’s intentions were admirable, and fresh from playing a main character in the highest-grossing film ever made that doubled as a certified cultural sensation, he wanted to seek out roles where “the humanity of that person is available regardless of the part they’re playing.” He tried, but unfortunately, his first attempt was an embarrassing miss.
“Unless you’re in a piece of total dogshit like Force 10 from Navarone in which you can’t do anything,” he clarified. “I ended up doing that because it was the only non-Han Solo role offered to me and, quite frankly, because they were going to give me billing above the title, second to Robert Shaw.”
Would the Navarone sequel have positioned Ford as its secondary attraction if it weren’t for Star Wars? Almost certainly not. Ford was smart enough to know that, and his feelings on the movie indicated that he also knew it wasn’t the greatest career move, but it was the sole opportunity he was presented with that would at least allow him to try and strike when the iron was at its hottest.
Ford, and most likely Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher, too, presumably thought Star Wars would leave them inundated with offers. Instead, Force 10 from Navarone was the only option available, which kept the actor occupied, even if “dogshit” was all he could think to call it.
