“I asked the President if he could arrange…”: Harrison Ford Had a Strange Request to the 42nd US President to Prepare for His Iconic Role With Gary Oldman in $315M Movie

Harrison Ford Had a Strange Request to the 42nd US President to Prepare for His Iconic Role With Gary Oldman in $315M Movie
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Hollywood star known for starring in popular franchises like Indiana Jones and Star Wars, Harrison Ford has joined Marvel’s superhero universe as Thunderbolt Ross. He is set to make his MCU debut with the upcoming Captain America: Brave New World, which will feature him as the president of the United States. While this would be his first take on the character, it would not be the first movie to feature him in the role of the US President.

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Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford

He portrayed the role of James Marshall, an honored Vietnam veteran and the president of the USA, in the 1997 action thriller. During a conversation with Charlie Rose, he opened up about how the 42nd US President helped him regarding some of the aspects of the movie.

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When Harrison Ford Asked For the President’s Help

Harrison Ford starred alongside Gary Oldman in Wolfgang Petersen’s 1997 film Air Force One. In the movie, US President James Marshall tries to rescue everyone from his plane, after it gets hijacked by a group of terrorists.

Harrison Ford as President James Marshall
Harrison Ford in Air Force One (1997)

The film was received very well at the box office, making $315 million worldwide and critics also praised the film saying that it was “an entertaining thrill ride.” It has also been credited to be one of the most popular action films of the 1990s.

During a conversation with Charlie Rose, the star of the film revealed that the president at the time helped with one of the most important things for the movie. He shared that he met Bill Clinton, who served as the 42nd president of the United States, at his birthday party and he asked him if he could take a tour of his airplane.

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Air Force One (1997)
Air Force One (1997)

“I asked the president if he could arrange for myself and my fellow filmmakers to have a tour of the airplane,” he recalled. Ford shared that he was allowed to have a tour, which turned out to be pretty helpful for the 1997 film.

Read More: “You didn’t f**king tell me that”: Harrison Ford Was Furious With Mark Hamill After Finding Out the Secret George Lucas Was Hiding

Harrison Ford Cast Glenn Close in the 1997 Film

Hollywood actress Glenn Close starred alongside Harrison Ford in the 1997 action thriller Air Force One as Vice President Kathryn Bennett. The Fugitive star shared that it was during the president’s birthday when he met the Tony Award recipient.

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Glenn Close in Air Force One (1997)

He shared that the part of the vice president in the 1997 movie was written for a woman, and when he met the actress at the president’s birthday, he offered her the role. “I asked Glenn if she would play the vice president, which was written for a woman,” he shared and Close accepted the offer.

The actress later shared that she was required to cry during one of the scenes, which she declined, saying, “I will not do that. I don’t think that would happen. Not my Vice President.” She took her stand, claiming that her vice president would not break down in such a situation. The makers had to eventually change the scene.

Air Force One is now streaming on Peacock.

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Read More: “I was in a really bad mood”: Harrison Ford Caught in Crossfire after George Lucas and Steven Spielberg’s Very Public Breakup in Most Hated Indiana Jones Film

Source: Charlie Rose

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Written by Laxmi Rajput

Articles Published: 2182

Laxmi Rajput is a writer at Fandomwire. She finished her Post Graduation in Broadcast Journalism and worked as a Business News writer for a year. But her interest in entertainment and pop culture compelled her to find a way towards Entertainment Journalism. She has worked across various fields and has 2 years of experience in content writing. She likes reading, music, movies, and traveling. She aspires to become a fiction writer in the future.