Just like any other actor, Harrison Ford had to face quite a struggle before eventually becoming a superstar. In his early days of struggle, he had done quite odd jobs including carpentry to make ends meet. It was when he got injured that made his work in an iconic Indiana Jones sequence quite difficult.
His character surely amassed a dedicated fandom whose unique accessories like a fedora hat and bullwhip quickly got him into recognition. However, the actor has not been quite featured to use the whip in the movies which could be due to being a difficult weapon to handle. However, he had to face this challenge quite a lot since his old injury affected his overall performance in using the bullwhip.
Harrison Ford’s Carpentry Injury Led His Bullwhip Sequence Difficult in Indiana Jones
In the book, The Making of Raiders of the Lost Ark, Harrison Ford recalled how his carpentry time got him a hand injury that eventually affected his skill in handling bullwhip in the 1981 movie, Raiders of the Lost Ark.
As per the book, his right wrist was injured due to falling off a ladder at Valerie Harper’s house during a carpentry job in the 1960s.
“I busted my wrist when I was a carpenter […] I fell off a ladder at Valerie Harper’s house.”
He explained that his injury eventually made his task difficult to execute while filming to use bullwhip for the movie sequence.
“My wrist has never quite come back […] When I started bullwhipping I realized how important a wrist is.”
As for the sequence, he “had very little instruction.”
He continued,
“There’s not a lot you can do. Glenn Randall, the stunt coordinator, showed me how not to whip the hell out of myself. But half an hour after he started training me, he finished because it’s really some-thing you have to do for yourself.”
Given that he was rarely seen using the whip, not much practice was required for the sequence. However, he did train his wrist with a heavy steel sphere to strengthen his force in grasping it more. Even editing and camera angles further enhanced his overall performance which helped the Star Wars actor in pulling the sequence off. While his carpentry injury made his filming experience a bit difficult in the 1981 movie, his profession played a huge role in making him a superstar.
Harrison Ford’s Carpentry Helped Him Land Star Wars
In a Vanity Fair interview, the 81-year-old actor recalled how his carpentry skills helped him land in the popular Star Wars franchise. He initially found out that George Lucas, the creator behind the franchise was looking for fresh faces adding that he would not work with anyone from American Graffiti.
For the unversed, the former played a supporting role in the 1973 movie which Lucas directed. While his chances were quite slim, the filmmaker spotted the actor in Francis Ford Coppola’s offices and the rest is history.
He shared,
“I was working on an elaborate portico entrance to Francis Ford Coppola’s offices, working as a carpenter, when George walked in with Richard Dreyfuss to begin the first of the interviews for ‘Star Wars.’ Somehow that rang a bell with George, and I became, eventually, Han Solo.”
While many would wonder why he was still continuing his carpentry job despite starring in a successful movie like American Graffiti, it was reported that he was still struggling to make ends meet at the time. Eventually, his Han Solo role brought him to global recognition which he reprised in four sequels.
