Some actors may get a kick out of seeing their name up in lights, but Harrison Ford would rather stay out of the Hollywood spotlight. At 50, the man behind such mega-hits as the "Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones" trilogies prefers to be considered an actor, not a movie star.

"Seeing my name up there with my films is not exciting,"..."It's business. My focus is not to be a movie star but to be a filmmaker and be involved in all aspects of making quality films. I'm happy to say that's my conscious approach to acting. That's the way I get pleasure from the experience, and that's why I continue to do it. The enjoyment comes from the day-to-day process of making scenes work into movies, and it all still continues to challenge me."

In his latest film, "Patriot Games," Ford portrays CIA agent Jack Ryan. "I felt lucky I was able to find a project like "Patriot Games" to invest my time in. I was looking for an action picture to do after having recently done three or four films that were sedentary in nature. I was this film as a character-driven story. It deals with a man's reaction to the threat of danger to his family, and I felt it was the kind of picture I wanted to make. The timing was right, and I was ready to do a different kind of film.

"I hope audiences get a combination of entertainment and emotional exercise from the film, which I think is beneficial. One without the other is like having a diet that's too heavily based in fats or sugars. It just isn't interesting enough. I like to think I'm providing a rounded, complex and emotional experience for the audience, especially when you're dealing with as serious a subject as "Patriot Games."

Ford Admits it's been hard to shake his hero image. Even after roles in such films as "Witness", "Frantic", "The Mosquito Coast", "Working Girl", Presumed Innocent" and "Regarding Henry", audiences still tend to remember the rugged actor for his adventurous on-screen characters like Indiana Jones and Han Solo.

"I don't set out to do heroic roles, but I do set out to do roles that shape the life of a person. I don't think about whether they're a hero or not. My intention is to do different kinds of films and play different kinds of characters along the way. I don't profess to be anything except a skilled craftsman involved in making films. I find I return to what's instinctive to me as an actor. My instincts definitely lead me, as well as my past experience in the roles I have chosen to do."

In true action-adventure form, Ford likes to do most of his own close-up stunt work. For example, in "Patriot Games," Ford performed all the stunts in the film's explosive boat chase scene.

"I don't have a zeal for stunt work, but I do feel I understand how it's done. I've been at it for more than 20 years. I understand how to give expression to characters in those moments, how to keep the character going and the continuity going. I also don't want anyone else playing my character. I wnat to be involved. In this film, I felt I didn't do a lot that was exceptionally demanding. Sure I had quite a few scenes on the boat and in the water that were cold and very wet, but I don't think getting wet makes you daring. You don't getany extra credit for bathing with your clothes on."

Born and raised in Chicago, Ford attended Ripon College in Wisconsin and began his career acting in summer stock productions. After making the commitment to pursue acting full-time, he packed up and headed west to Los Angeles where he worked as a contract player for Columbia and Universal Studios. He paid his dues on television as well, in small roles on "Gunsmoke," "Ironside" and "The Virginian." After years of struggling to make a name for himself, he decided to take a break from pursuing acting full-time and began working as a carpenter.

"As a young actor, there was some anger. People in the business didn't treat me very well, especially in those early days," he says. "But then no one is treated well until you become more valuable. I decided to become someone other than an out-of-work actor, so I became a carpenter and didn't worry when I auditioned about not getting a part because there was more in my life. Of course, today things are different. When you become more valuable, you're treated very differently, and yes, I'm now treated real nice."

Ford admits he still enjoys spending time woodworking, but first and foremost he's a dedicated actor. As the story goes, years of perseverance paid off.

"I always knew what didn't kill you made you stronger, so I stuck with it and hung in there," he says. "I really wanted toamake my living as an actor, even though I didn't know all the techiques involved. The one thing I did know was lots of people give up. I knew if I was to ever make it, it would take a long time. The strong work ethic was always important. Whether it was building or acting, I made sure I did good work. I kept being tenacious, and I kept on learning in case my tenacity paid off."

The first pay-off for Ford when filmmaker George Lucas cast him in "American Graffiti." Soon after, he won the role of Han Solo in Lucas's film "Star Wars."

"Although all those films, including "Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones," were important to my career, I have no interest in makingany more of those films because it would be like going backwards, and I'm interested in doing other projects now," he says. "I really don't like to plan too much ahead when doing a film, and I haven't set long-term goals. I don't like to pull a train with projects behind me. I like to do a film, think about it, reassess my options, and then take advantage of what's available at that given time, rather than develop lots of projects. I find as I've matured, I have had the opportunity to tackle more complex material, and I've brought more complexity to certain roles. In becoming more successful, I've had more influence on the scripts and the productions I've been involved with, and that has been important to me."

In between acting assignments, Ford lives a life about as un-Hollywood as you can get. Hea and his wife, screenwriter Melissa Mathison, make their home on an 800 acre ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, with their two children, Malcolm, 5, and Georgia, 2. Ben and Willard, his two sons from a previous marriage who are now in their 20's, also frequently visit the two-story home, which Ford designed.

"I love living in Wyoming. This is where I enjoy living when I'm not working. Los Angeles is a big city, and I just don't care to live in a big city. I occasionally like to dip into them, but not live in them. I also don't throw stones at those who enjoy it there. i guess i just prefer to hang out at other places."

Although Ford may shun the Hollywood spotlight, he does make it a point to lend his name to certain projects that are close to his heart and his home.

"I've been involved in a lot of issues in support of the environment, but I rarely make a public spectacle of myself," says Ford. "I have a hard time with the celebrity spokesperson role. I'm on the Board of Conservation International where I decide my involvement and participation on a case-by-case basis. I'm not just concerned about my family, my ranch and my horses - I'm just plain worried about the whole planet."

After the success of "Patriot Games," Ford is taking a break from the business and spending some time with his family. Though he has no current plans for his next project, negotiations are underway to have him star in three more films as Jack Ryan.

"I do have an agreement with Paramount Pictures that if we develop scripts that we both have confidence in and all the factors are right, I will do more films. Personally, I feel the character has enough interest and complexity to be carried on, and holpfully we'll be able to continue the story from here."

By Sandra Siepak
Originally published in
Valley Magazine
Sept. 1992