Harrison Ford Proves To Be The Legend We All Know He Is

Legendary actor Harrison Ford--known for his roles in Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and great thrillers like The Fugitive and Witness--recently gave a fantastic interview that further solidified the actor as the legend we all know he is.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter to promote the new Apple TV+ series Shrinking, the film icon gave some incredible responses that speak to his temperament and character. Here are a few topics and quotes from the interview that we enjoyed--read the full interview at THR.

On Therapy

Discussing his thoughts on therapy, which is the basis of the show Shrinking with Jason Segel, Ford said he doesn't need it. "There are all kinds of therapy. I'm sure many of them are useful to many people. I'm not anti-therapy for anybody--except for myself. I know who the f**k I am at this point," he said.

On How He Motivates Himself

Like anyone else who has ever walked the Earth, Ford isn't always terribly enthusiastic about what he needs to do for work, and he has a very refreshing perspective on buckling down and just doing the work. For the purposes of the interview with THR, Ford's job in speaking to the journalist was to help sell the TV show Shrinking, and he didn't shy away from admitting that.

"There are things I don't love doing, but I want to be gracious about it, and I don't want to shove it into somebody's face that I don't like doing it," he said. "They might be having a great time. Like you might be having a great time right now, or you could be having a terrible time and are preparing to write some nasty sh** and I would never know. I'm just here to do my job, and my job, at the moment, is to help sell the product. This is what they really pay me for. The acting I'd do for free."

On What He Wants Written On His Tombstone

We hope Ford will live forever, but that is unrealistic. When he does eventually pass away, Ford said he doesn't want a traditional message stamped on his gravestone.

"I wouldn't want it to be 'Harrison Ford, blah-blah-blah, actor.' I'd settle for 'Was Useful.' Well, there's not a lot of space on a tombstone," he said.

On Producers In Hollywood

Ford, like many, doesn't understand the role of a producer for a Hollywood film and why there are so many. "I don't even know what a f**king producer does anymore, or why we need 36 of them around," he said.

Does He Feel Bad That Tom Selleck, Who Was Offered The Role Of Indiana Jones But Couldn't Do It Due To A Contract Issue, Missed Out On The Role?

Selleck was offered the role of Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark but CBS didn't let him out of his Magnum P.I. contract to do it. Ford got the role, and the rest is history. Ford doesn't feel bad for Selleck. "No. I feel lucky I got it. But I don't feel that he’s had an unlucky career. He seems like a happy guy," Ford said.

On Philosophy And The Meaning Of Life

Ford majored in Philosophy in college, and it sounds like he learned a lot and has a balanced and thoughtful take on life and what it all means.

"There's a Protestant theologian named Paul Tillich who wrote that if you have trouble with the word 'God,' take whatever is central and most meaningful to your life and call that God," he said. "I didn’t have any religious construct, but I think nature and God are the same thing. The mysterious origin of life--science tells us how it happened, prophecy tells us another story. I found that everything in nature--the complexity, the biodiversity, the symbiotic relationship--is the same thing other people attribute to God."

On His Near-Death Experience From A Plane Crash

Ford enjoys flying vintage planes. In 2015, he was flying a World War II-era plane and crashed onto a golf course, suffering major injuries. Reflecting on this accident and how it changed him and his life, he quoted Jimmy Buffett, thus proving again his legendary status.

"I changed a lot of things in my life. My wife does not fly with me in vintage airplanes anymore--she will in others. I certainly don't want to have to recover from that kind of accident again," he said. "It was really hard on my family and it was hard on me. I went back to flying. I know what happened. So that's part of the reason [I went back]. There was a mechanical issue with the airplane I could not have known about or attended to in any way. So in the words of the great philosopher Jimmy Buffett: Sh** happens."

Be sure to read the full interview at THR to hear more from Ford about his life and career. Shrinking is streaming now on Apple TV+. Ford will be seen again in 2023 in the new movie Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, which releases in June.