NEW YORK – Harrison Ford has been in every global military action ever conceived — and one in a galaxy far, far away.
His paycheck is getting intergalactic too: Ford is getting a reported $25 million for the Russian submarine movie K-19: The Widowmaker. Yes, he's still with Calista. But don't ask him about politics. He's got a movie to promote. Think he has a piece of it?
Bill McCuddy: How many wars have you been involved in, cold or otherwise, in your career?
Harrison Ford: As an actor?
McCuddy: Yeah.
Ford: I don't really know.
McCuddy: You've served in just about all of them.
Ford: From Star Wars to World War II. Almost everything in between.
McCuddy: That's a pretty full chest of medals and honors.
Ford: Uh-huh.
McCuddy: Could you actually serve if you were called up in any capacity by our president?
Ford: In any capacity? I was asked to come to the Vietnam party and respectfully declined the invitation. I had a lot of problems with Vietnam. And I was a conscientious objector in that period of time.
McCuddy: Is that anything you regret today?
Ford: No, I don't regret it at all.
McCuddy: How's our president doing in the war on terror?
Ford: I'm here to talk about movies.
McCuddy: But you've played the president. You've had that part.
Ford: I've played the president, but I don't face his problems and I don't want to take the time I have to bring attention to this movie to waste it talking about the president.
McCuddy: When you 'executive produce' are you the first actor you always think of?
Ford: I became involved in this as an actor first and then there were a lot of things yet to be done that I wanted to have a hand in, decisions that I wanted to participate in. I wanted to do it as a producer rather than as a movie star, that's why I took on the role of executive producer.
McCuddy: Were you stunned that something like this had actually happened?
Ford: You mean the accident on the sub?
McCuddy: Yeah.
Ford: No, not at all. At the beginning of the use of nuclear technology, there were accidents on both sides of the iron curtain.
McCuddy: How about the fact that some of the things you've done and some of the characters you've portrayed have come to fruition? Some of the novels that have become movies are starting to feel very real.
Ford: I think they felt real enough at the time for me to want to tell those stories. But history is very interesting and cyclical and repeats itself, so I'm not surprised that the stuff of drama is the stuff of our current events.
McCuddy: Did you like yourself old?
Ford: I wasn't much moved by it. I didn't like myself sick. There's a brief period where you saw the effects of radiation sickness. That was a little disquieting. But I didn't mind much being older.
McCuddy: Is it tough not to do a bad Russian accent? Hard not slip into 'Fearless Leader?'
Ford: (Laughs) We had a real good dialog coach and we were all trying our best to get it right, so it was...One of the pleasures of the business is to attempt to do things that you haven't done before.
McCuddy: Well we are 'done-ski.'
Ford: (Laughs) OK. Nice to see you.
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