Indiana Jones star Harrison Ford once revealed that Blade Runner is not one of his most favorite works due to his frequent disputes with director Ridley Scott. Apart from the filmmaker, the actor also had problems with the actual production.
Along with the tiresome filming, Ford did not like the voiceovers because he believed the picture would work even without them. In the end, the Star Wars alum admitted he had a negative experience with this particular movie.
Harrison Ford Once Said Working On Blade Runner Was A ‘Nightmare’
Harrison Ford has previously expressed his dismay with the production of Ridley Scott’s 1982 film Blade Runner. Not only did he not enjoy 50 terrible nights shooting in the rain, but he also believed the changes made during post-production were just as useless. Fans knew he did not work well with the director, and according to producer Alan Ladd Jr. in the book Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner, they would not even talk to each other. He said via IMDb:
“By the end of the shoot, Ford was ready to kill Ridley. He really would have taken him on if he hadn’t been talked out of it.”
Another thing that vexed the actor was the unnecessary voiceovers he had to record. It was said that the studio forced Scott and Ford to add narration. The Patriot Games star elaborated via Vice:
“When we started shooting it had been tacitly agreed that the version of the film that we had agreed upon was the version without voiceover narration. It was a f—king nightmare. I thought that the film had worked without the narration. But now I was stuck re-creating that narration. And I was obliged to do the voiceovers for people that did not represent the director’s interests. I went kicking and screaming to the studio to record it.”
In the end, the studio executives did not like the voiceovers, and they pretty much loathed the movie altogether. Ford revealed in another interview with SFGate that he also had issues with his character. He thought Rick Deckard did not live up to his profession. Ford stated:
“I didn’t like the movie one way or the other, with or without. I played a detective who did not have any detecting to do. In terms of how I related to the material, I found it very difficult. There was stuff that was going on that was really nuts.”
In fact, up to this day, Ford and Scott still don’t see eye to eye with the character’s fate. Blade Runner 2049 director Denis Villeneuve told Cinemablend that if the pair were put in the same room, they would start arguing about it again.
Harrison Ford Believes Blade Runner Sequel Is More Accessible To Audiences
The most recent sequel, Blade Runner 2049, is a better movie experience for the fans, according to Ford. The actor believes viewers can relate to it more than the original film, and they could easily digest the plot for its contemporary setting. He told The Globe and Mail:
“The first one was ahead of its time, and now is the time for this one. The issue of its immediate acceptance proved not to be a problem, because in the long term, it gained an enormous following and had a terrific impact on a generation of filmmakers and visual storytellers.”
Ford was already in the line-up when Villeneuve was tapped to helm the movie. Apparently, the actor wanted to get to know the director before having him on board. He further added:
“You know, working with a director, it’s a bit of a marriage. It’s not a question of approving your mate, but a question of, are we going to fall in love or not?”
Despite fans calling Blade Runner 2049 a box office disaster, only earning $267 million against a budget of $185 million, many still consider it a decent sequel and a cult favorite.
Blade Runner is available to watch on Amazon Prime.
Sources: IMDb, Vice, SFGate, Cinemablend, The Globe and Mail
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