Don’t tell me you wouldn’t ask the same question if you had the chance.
During a Reddit AMA over the weekend, the veteran actor was asked all kinds of stuff, including what his most-requested line is (“Get off my plane”) and what it’s like rescuing people with a helicopter.
The most useful question, though, came from SuperC142.
Damn right that’s classic Han.
I am Harrison Harrison Ford. AMA. [Reddit]
Comments
55 responses to “Someone Asked Harrison Ford Who Shot First”
I understand that maybe Harrison Ford is kind of over Star Wars and Indiana Jones but some of his responses to questions related to those movies makes him come across to me as really ungrateful for the fans and success those movies brought him.
I’m finding every time he tries to engage with the public I find myself respecting him just a little bit less.
I don’t know, I kinda find that question to be pointless. As asking the question is more of an annoying meme then a general enquiry.
In his place, as an actor that played that role and acted out that scene, to have it “remastered” 20 years later, I would have an opinion on that and want it to be known. This “don’t know – don’t care” response to me is indicative of his attitude towards his acting career as a whole and makes me less interested in seeing his newer/upcoming work. Why should I invest in his characters if he doesn’t?
Maybe he did have an opinion. But years of repetitive asking and prying could eventually make him tired of the whole thing.
People keep asking because he never really answers the question.
The least he could do is wear a shirt saying “Han/Greedo shot first”. Really is it that hard?
Because it’s a stupid question, has two answers, both of which are correct, if not for the obsessiveness of fans.
Because why should he have an opinion as a supposed artist on which he personally considers correct in his interpretation of the character he played? Is it that unreasonable for fans to ask and not get a dismissive response?
Apparently, yes.
His opinion is that he doesn’t have one, yet people get unreasonable about his lack of interest.
@mic and I’m saying is that I don’t respect him as an actor if he’s going to be that dismissive about the role he’s best known for even 37 years later. Why isn’t that allowed?
@Kermitron Because it’s thirty seven years later. I’m as much of a geek as the next guy about a lot of things, but when an actor of something from that long ago doesn’t care about something that’s basically an injoke with the hardcore fans? I’m not going to be offended because he’s simply moved on. Because, thirty seven years.
@mic I’m under no obligation to respect him, the number of years is irrelevant.
Not respecting a multi-award winning actor because they don’t place the same importance on the fandom surrounding the fandom of an almost four decade old movie is entirely your prerogative.
It’s also stupid, but whatever.
Probably because he’s had people ask him the same question for DECADES. I wouldn’t give half a car.
I actually think it’s an answer that suited his character, it seemed like he was enjoying the joke with the people. The idea was that Han wouldn’t have cared if he shot first or if Greedo shot first, because he was going to kill Greedo anyway. I dunno, I see his answer more as if he was answering AS Han Solo, more than as the actor who played Han Solo
I considered that but decided that made even less sense.
I guess if you were asked the same question for over 37 years, it would get annoying. He will always know that he will be remembered for Han Solo, Indiana Jones or the President. At the same time though he is also a actor who played a role that became mega big. While he is really appreciative of the passion people have got from the films, he’s a actor and has done many other roles i’m sure wouldn’t mind getting questioned on besides the big hits.
I guess my point is at one point he’d only been asked these questions for 1 year, or 5 years. Sure he hascause to be sick of it now, but as far as I am aware he’s never answered candidly.
“I don’t know and I don’t care” seems pretty candid to me.
He didn’t write the script and he certainly didn’t revise it. Why should me know? For a role from thirty five years ago, why should he care?
A definitive answer from him at this point would be uninformed and quite possibly untrue.
For the next 30 years Harrison ford will be asked about when he said he did not care was he talking as himself or Han Solo??
As you said, 20 years. I would assume you don’t go into a movie expecting to become invested in the characters for the next couple of decades.
I suspect most of the people who would have an issue with the response he gave are just disappointed he’s not as passionate as they are.
Yeah, it’s a tough one. On one hand I get it, ‘be greatful’ on the other, he probably has been asked so many questions that he was forced to get over it.
I think it was a Nerdist podcast with Tom Hanks where he was talking about how inane a lot of questions are. He specifically pointed out Australian’s as asking the most boring pointless questions.
You would get over it. I was watching something a few months ago and Ryan Seacrest had one question to ask Ringo Starr and he asked, ‘In the early days, did you ever think the beatles would be what they became’ or some variation on that. The dumbest possible and probably most asked question.
So you would get so fed up of this shit.
Yeah, I was at Supanova on the weekend and attended a panel for Adventure Time. Some of the questions were just flat out stupid. It was only saved by the humour of the voice actors (particularly John DiMaggio).
Not only that, some questions crossed genres for no reason. One question was, “Who’d win in a fight between Jake and Bender”, and another was, “Who’s smarter, Farnsworth or Bubblegum?”.
You’d get so annoyed at those questions. I’ve seen a bunch of videos of futurama panels with John Dimaggio, he’s quite entertaining. However questions like those are designed to make the people on stage work and turn the crap question into something funny and entertaining. Where if they can’t do it, it then reflects badly on them. You’d get so annoyed at it.
Sometimes good questions get through. One question lead to a backstory between Marceline and Bubblegum that can’t be shown in the show without feeling forced that was really interesting. I remember some good questions in a Korra panel about how she got the job. But mostly it’s all kids trying to impress everyone else.
Thankfully John DiMaggio is really talented and can make up for everything bad. He even interrupted the panel to answer a phone call from the audience in Jakes voice.
This occurred to me watching the Rooster Teeth panel live stream at PAX East. My wife said right away that she wasn’t interested in fan questions because they’re always terrible, and she WAS right, but mainly in the respect that they almost always fall into one of three categories:
1) people try and be clever/funny to get attention from the people in a misguided attempt to impress them;
2) people ask “how do I get a job at Rooster Teeth” (aka: “I have no actual talent and just wish you were my friends”); and
3) people who ask questions with answers that are well known-easily accessible who are only asking because secretly they fall into categories 1 and 2 and want the opportunity to talk directly to the panel.
Ford has had a long acting career, longer than I’ve even been alive. I get that he has to deal with people like this all goddamn day. I do get it.
But generally I don’t think he interviews very well and I don’t think I’ve ever seen him in an interview where I didn’t get the vibe that he’d rather be doing anything else.
Yeah he doesn’t interview well. The most into it I have seen him is clips on Jimmy Kimmel. Which may be because Kimmel is quite well liked and friendly in hollywood circles. So is set apart from different interviewers.
I think people sometimes make the mistake where just because someone is an actor it doesn’t actually mean they are a good performer in other areas. Like being a talk show guest. They’re completely different skill sets.
The answer seems perfect to me too. I enjoyed Star Wars as much as anybody and I don’t know or care who shot first or about Greedo either.
Yes he has become the grumpy old man, as was Billy Dee Williams when I heard him speak at SupaNova. To him it was just am acting job he did 30+ years ago that, although may have put him on the map was still just an acting job. But we should always remember, Han shot first.
For some of the actors involved with Star Wars the fact they’re chiefly remembered for that is probably annoying, especially those with a large body of work outside that franchise. For example apparently Sir Alec Guinness used to throw away fan mail if it mentioned Star Wars because he was frustrated that people only remembered him for a supporting role in those films instead of the work he was knighted for.
Again I consider this pretty small of Guinness. I can appreciate his volume of work but there’s no dismissing his role as Kenobi just because it science-fiction instead of some period epic.
He had major, major issues with Lucas I think. But also I think it’s justified to be irritated that people remember you for a supporting role in a pulp film instead of an Oscar-winning performance in one of the greatest films of all time.
Agreed, Sir Alec is unfortunately known only for Star Wars and nothing much else, a shame, as he was a great actor. Billy Dee Williams on the other hand…
Lawrence of Arabia as the prince and Bridge over the river Kwai are the only 2 other films I can remember Alec of.
It’s a bizarre situation though. People say “how small of them” and to some extent I agree.
By the same token, we’re not all chipper happy people. How long would a lot of the people that comment on this site last with constant questions on character/series lore, considering one mention of an opposing view on the internet will send them to the keyboards armed with sarcasm and vitriol?
Harrison Ford is a carpenter by trade. I have the feeling that this relatively modest background would influence him to end up not getting as into the lore/legacy of a film than a lot of fans or other actors will have.
“Only known for Star Wars” is dependent on the fan. Younger fans who grew up with Star Wars are unlikely to appreciate his other films as children, but people grow and mature and appreciate other kinds of films too. I certainly had no reason to watch Bridge on the River Kawi, as a pertinent example, as a child or teenager. I can appreciate it more now.
That Sir Alec couldn’t appreciate that some of his fans are younger people who love silly science fiction like Star Wars is to his detriment, I’m afraid, regardless of how great a man he might have been in every other respect.
Are you serious? Did you at least read the rest of the AMA, he was really great. It’s a stupid question anyway.
I read the majority of it.
People get upset that Ford might not be interested in discussing a role he played more than 30 years ago.
Compare it to having to answer questions about your toilet training when you go to a job interview.
That is the most ridiculous compaison I’ve ever heard. I’m actually astounded at the level of mental gymnastics you had to perform in order to come up with it.
Dude, let it go. It’s embarrassing how little respect you have for the opinions of others. You think you’re right? They do as well but none of you will ever know the answer to the question of “Does Harrison Ford resent Star Wars?”
Answer: I don’t know and I don’t care.
I’m sorry but not a single one of my responses to this thread has been disrespectful or dismissive, nor have I downvoted anyone disagreeing with me (in spite of others doing the same to me). My response to this particular person you have singled out has nothing to do with the discussion at hand and is rather a strawman argument about the relevance of the question.
I presented my opinion on the matter and since then I’ve responded and expressed my views quite reasonably to people who’ve decided to attack me instead of simply disagreeing.
Asking who shot first implies greedo got a shot off at all, he was gunned down like the punk he was
We all know Han shot Greedo before he had a chance to fire. There is no ‘first’, there is only.
YEAH I’LL BET YOU HAVE
The whole “Han Solo shot first” came from the fact that George Lucas decided to change the scene when he “remastered” Star Wars.
You are right tho. Han shot Greedo like a boss! But in the new crap version Greedo pulls the trigger and misses, even tho he has the blaster right at Solo face!
Guess the “who shot first” is some sort of StarWars fans internal joke. Our version of “knock Knock”
Yeah I’ve seen that. The reworked new scene where Greedo actually does shoot and Han ‘moves out the way’ is really painful to watch.
It’s quite obvious who shot first. It was Han, if I remember correct (I haven’t watched episode IV for ages so don’t quote me.) Greedo’s shot bounced around the cantina. Greedo is a bounty hunter, he drew first, Han shot, Greedo’s finger reaction caused weapon to fire inaccurately.
That is the best answer to everything
Some food for thought: in three years’ time, Greedo will have had the first shot for longer than Han did.
On the contrary. The original prints still exist out there. So Han is still shooting first on many screens I’m sure 😉
Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.
Why’d you have to go breaking my heart like that, @Shane.
Not if I can help it…
It sounds to me like some nerds are pissed their hero doesn’t give a shit and they do.
I would’ve laughed so hard if he had said “What the hell’s a Greedo?”
The fact that someone said “I love you” and he replied “I know” would lead me to believe he was clearly having a reasonable time during the AMA and didn’t mind too much with the silly questions