Who is Harrison Ford’s greatest hero?
Even though he’s played countless memorable heroes over the course of a legendary career – including two of the most iconic characters in cinematic history – Harrison Ford would much rather that nobody appraised any of his signature roles with that particular term.
Explaining his viewpoint to Entertainment Weekly, the actor revealed that he’d never seen himself as a purveyor of on-screen heroism: “I don’t use the word hero at all, because I think it starts us off in the wrong direction,” he said. “For years and years and years, I’ve been saying I want to play an ordinary person in extraordinary circumstances, who happens to behave well for the benefit of others.”
However, the evidence to the contrary has been stacking up for decades, and that extends far beyond Indiana Jones and Han Solo. In fact, Ford has played many heroic roles in a multitude of genres, to the point of being named ‘America’s Greatest Hero’ by People, a sentiment that’s difficult to argue with. Even at that, though, it barely even scratches the surface of his big screen derring-do.
Peter Weir’s classic thriller Witness – which landed him the only Academy Award nomination of his career for ‘Best Actor’ – ticks the box marked ‘hero’ after his police officer uncovers a wide-ranging corruption case while he infiltrated Parisian subculture to rescue his kidnapped wife in Roman Polanski’s Frantic.
In the legal drama Presumed Innocent, Ford’s attorney goes to increasingly desperate lengths to prove he isn’t guilty of the crimes of which he’s been committed, with Air Force One singling him out as the most badass president ever committed to film after his commander-in-chief thwarts an airborne terrorist plot with nothing more than his guile, wits, and fists. In addition, one of his most memorable performances came in The Fugitive, where his Richard Kimble tore down a cover-up from the inside out in order to clear himself of the charges that forced him to go on the run in the first place.
His penchant for heroism is even more pronounced as it applies to the parts he’s played more than once, with Blade Runner‘s Rick Deckard twice getting involved in a sprawling conspiracy in Ridley Scott’s original and Denis Villeneuve’s legacy sequel. He’s the only star to have played Jack Ryan twice, too, with Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger both requiring the CIA staffer to risk life and limb in order to stave off threats to national security. That barely even begins to cover what makes Ford such a seminal hero in modern Hollywood, and that’s without mentioning the two elephants in the room.
Roguish smuggler Han Solo might try and convince everyone that he’s reluctantly taking a stand against the Empire, but that gruff demeanour barely conceals the fact that despite his fondness for illegality on occasion, the stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy-looking Nerf-herder can always be counted on in a moment of need to do the right thing and help his friends, comrades, and allies.
Having played Indiana Jones five times over the course of 42 years, the intrepid adventurer has always given off the impression that it was the character Ford held closest to his heart, with the archaeology professor having put his neck on the line repeatedly to not just wrestle fantastical artefacts from Nazis and Russians, but ensure his companions, love interests, and long-time associates don’t end up meeting their doom.
His contributions to Star Wars might arguably be embedded deeper in the public consciousness, but whereas that franchise has carried on without him and will continue to do so in perpetuity, it’s impossible to imagine Indiana Jones carrying on after Ford bowed out and hung up the hat for good following Dial of Destiny.
He was an essential cog in the well-oiled machine of a galaxy far, far away without a doubt, but the series still churned out six movies without him, with another two consisting of a supporting role and a one-scene cameo. Conversely, considering Indy begins and ends with Ford and nobody else – not even Steven Spielberg as James Mangold showed – Indiana Jones has got to be regarded as the greatest hero that the A-lister has ever brought to such vivid, unforgettable, and iconic life.
