Before Ford became a movie star, he worked as a carpenter. As the story goes, he landed a small role in George Lucas’s 1973 film American Graffiti, which was produced by Francis Ford Coppola. Ford was then hired to install millwork for the entrance to Coppola’s offices. “He appealed to me,” Ford told Esquire in 2023. “I said I would do it but only at night, when no one was around, because I didn’t want to be that guy—I wanted them to think of me as an actor, which I was. I did the job.”
The gig later opened the door for his role in Star Wars. “While I’m finishing up, first thing in the morning in walked George Lucas and Richard Dreyfuss to begin the process of meeting people for Star Wars,” Ford continued. “George had told our agents he wanted new faces, not the same people from American Graffiti. I was there with my tool belt on, sweeping up, said hello, chatted, and that was it. Later, I was asked by the producer to help them read lines with candidates for all the parts. Don’t know whether I read with people who were reading for Han Solo—can’t remember. I read with quite a few princesses. But there was no indication or forewarning that I might be considered for this part. It was just a favor. And then, of course, they offered me the part.”
Benedict Canyon
Source: www.architecturaldigest.com
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