INTERVIEW: Harrison Ford (January 5, 2009)

Harrison Ford spoke with Red Carpet Crash about his new movie “Extraordinary Measures,” based on the search for a treatment for Pompe Disease and one parent’s fight to bring that treatment to fruition. Ford plays Dr. Robert Stonehill, an antisocial professor who has a breakthrough theory on fighting Pompe’s effects but no way to fund his research.

RCC: When you were developing the character, working on the script, [Stonehill] is not just irascible. He’s downright prickly, and antisocial to a fault, which goes against the characters you’ve been able to play over the course of your career –

Ford: A-ha! [laughs]

RCC: – did you have more fun digging into this character because he wasn’t affable?

Ford: No, not more fun, just different fun. Variety is the spice of life. While I am known for… Listen. Everyone is known for the things that are the most commerically successful, but I have done a variety of kinds of films, and played a variety of characters over the years. You need to refresh people’s expectations every once in a while, and don’t meet them halfway. But, if you’ve got some story to tell that’s got some passion and energy, and will serve them a bit of emotional exercise, they’ll go a little bit of the way to meet you.

RCC: When you’re looking through scripts in between projects, is there a certain genre you’d like to go back to? For example, looking over your filmography, “The Frisco Kid” stands out as one of the few Westerns you’ve ever done. Is that something you’d like to go back to and revisit?

Ford: …make another Jewish movie?

RCC: Well, Roger Ebert did say that movie was the best ways to teach children about Chanukah.

Ford: Yeah, I saw that.

RCC: The point is, is there a certain film style, or genre, you’d like to go back to, or something you have yet to do?

Ford: No, I don’t think that way. Of course, I want to be useful in a number of different genres. So, I determine not to stick to one genre. In fact, I have a comedy coming out in July ["Morning Glory"], directed by Roger Michell, who’s a very talented British director, with Rachel McAdams, who is fantatsic, and Diane Keaton. It’s a comedy, and a really good movie. I’m really happy about that. I’m starting a thriller in a couple of months. So, y’know, I’m still workin’. [laughs] But, I’m not “genre-focused.” I’m “good movie-focused.”

Mark Walters (editor of BigFanBoy.com) gets some face time with one of the iconic actors of our generation during the Dallas red carpet premiere of “Extraordinary Measures.”

“Extraordinary Measures” opens on January 22; Red Carpet Crash will have a full review on opening day. Thanks to Harrison for spending some time with us – and CBS Films for making the visit possible.