Harrison Ford is one of the greatest actors to date thanks to his portrayals of Han Solo, Indiana Jones, Colonel Lucas, and more.
Early in his career, while the actor was still struggling to find success, he also had a family to look after. So, besides doing small acting gigs, he also started working as a carpenter.
Ford’s career began in 1964 when he went to California seeking a voice-over job, which he didn’t get. He ended up signing a contract with Columbia Pictures, earning $150 per week for small fill-in roles in different films.
But the studio executives wanted him to choose a different name for himself. He thought about it and later came up with an alternative name too.
Harrison Ford was Advised to Change His Name in His Earlier Days
Can you imagine what if Harrison Ford‘s name wasn’t what it is today? It would be hard to guess, right? Earlier in his career, before starring in big blockbusters, Ford was advised by an executive named Jerry Tarkovsky to change his name for better prospects.
As Ford recalled to GQ, the studio bosses handed a picture of Elvis Presley and told him “to go to the barbershop and get his hair cut like that.” Even Ford himself thought his name sounded too “pretentious.” He went on to explain that:
“They said, ‘Harrison Ford is not a good name for you.’”
The actor was advised to think of something else when it came to his name. So, he played his own game and ignored Tarkovsky’s not-so-needed advice. Ford didn’t get his hair cut and instead came up with the “stupidest name” he could think of and suggested — Kurt Affair. Explaining this name, Ford said:
“I was just f-cking with them. Because they were f-cking with me.”
Although the name and the advice didn’t make any sense and didn’t affect the actor too. But tit for tat was how Ford has chosen to defend himself at that time.
Harrison Ford Overcame Early Struggles, And Now He Is One of the Biggest Movie Stars
Years later, Harrison Ford overcame his early struggles and became one of Hollywood’s biggest stars. First, he got some big gigs where he played supporting roles in movies like American Graffiti (1973) and The Conversation (1974).
After years of struggling and finding success in supporting roles, the unknown actor finally got his breakthrough role as Han Solo in the epic space opera film Star Wars (1977) — a role he reprised in four sequels over the next four decades.
Since then, the star has continued to excel in Hollywood, starring in major hit movies, and his career shows no signs of slowing down. Now, he will return as quiet, meditative therapist Dr. Paul Rhoades for a second season of Apple TV+’s comedy series Shrinking alongside Jason Segel.
Source: GQ
