Harrison Ford Always Wanted to Be a Character Actor Over a Leading Man Before Becoming a Box Office Success
Harrison Ford Always Wanted to Be a Character Actor Over a Leading Man Before Becoming a Box Office Success
Tommy McArdleThu, April 9, 2026 at 8:50 PM UTC
0
Harrison Ford on Feb. 3, 2026; and in March 1978Credit: Stewart Cook/Apple TV via Getty; Michael Montfort/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty -
Harrison Ford said in a new interview that he "always wanted to be a character actor" rather than a leading man
Ford is best known for his heroic roles in Star Wars and Indiana Jones, despite his inclination toward character-driven storytelling
He currently stars in season three of Apple TV's Shrinking, which aired its season finale April 8
Harrison Ford is one of Hollywood's most beloved leading men, but he never really considered himself one in the first place.
Ford, 83, spoke to his love for embodying gruff characters over playing the hero in a movie during an appearance on The Hollywood Reporter's Awards Chatter podcast, released Thursday, April 9, as he promoted the Apple TV series Shrinking. During the conversation, the actor noted his 1985 movie, Witness, and 1986's The Moquisto Coast as "the first time I got to play a leading character that was not a leading man," as opposed to his heroic roles in Indiana Jones or Star Wars.
When asked to describe the difference between a leading man role and a character role, he added, “When the part can be described as a ‘leading man,’ you have certain responsibilities. You have to make the audience happy to be with you. You usually end up supplying an easy answer to a difficult dilemma that’s been driving the film, and then you end up with a soft solution, as it were."
Harrison Ford and British Lesley-Anne Down on the set of 1979's 'Hanover Street'Credit: Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty
During the interview, Ford also cited his 2013 movie, 42, and 2002's K-19: the Widowmaker as "the two probably strongest different kinds of characters that I've had the opportunity to play" over the past two decades. "I really loved both of those films, actually. I loved acting and not being a leading man," he said. "I always wanted to be a character actor. I had never thought that I would be a leading man. That doesn't make any sense. I don't look like a leading man, it just wasn't in the cards for me."
Advertisement
Ford famously moved to Los Angeles in the 1960s and worked as a carpenter to supplement income while he pursued an acting career. He eventually broke out with roles in American Graffiti, The Conversation and 1977's original Star Wars and has since embodied some of the most popular characters in modern film history.
— sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Harrison Ford on the set of 1979's 'The Frisco Kid'Credit: Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty
"I got to play leading parts because the films I was in had success, and that success carried me along," he said on Awards Chatter. "And it has carried me along, but a big part of that success is being in the right place at the right time, luck, persistence. There is no question that luck has been a big part of my life, and if you will, my success. But it's not just my luck. It's the luck of the people that I'm working with. Their qualities are carrying me; their ideas are inspiring me."
In March, Ford notably received SAG-AFTRA's annual Life Achievement Award at the at the 2026 Actor Awards, where he and other actors in the room grew visibly emotional during his eight-minute long acceptance speech. "Sometimes we make entertainment; sometimes we make art," Ford said during that awards ceremony. "Sometimes we're lucky to make 'em both at the same time, and if we're really fortunate, we also get to make a living doing it."
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
