Ridley Scott reveals that the financiers of Blade Runner had no idea who Harrison Ford was, despite the fact that the star was already Han Solo in Star Wars. The first Star Wars movie, which featured Ford’s roguish smuggler, was released in 1977, and the second came out in 1980. By the time he was cast in Scott’s 1982 dystopian sci-fi thriller, Ford had finished filming Steven Spielberg’s Raiders of the Lost Ark, but it had not been released yet. It debuted on June 12, 1981, months after Blade Runner began filming.

During a video covering his most iconic movies, Scott told GQ that the Blade Runner financiers initially questioned his decision to cast Ford in the lead role. The director recalled that Ford “was not a star yet,” and his financiers had no idea who he was. However, he defended his decision to cast Ford. Check out what he said below:

Harrison Ford was not a star yet. He had just finished flying the Millennium Falcon in Star Wars. I remember my financiers saying, “Who the f*ck is Harrison Ford?” I said, “You’re gonna find out.” So Harry became my leading man.

What This Means For Blade Runner

The Misunderstanding About Blade Runner Started Before The Film’s Release

Despite being regarded as a cult classic now, Blade Runner polarized critics and audiences when it first came out and became one of Scott’s most misunderstood films. Ford’s character, Rick Deckard, is a former police officer who works as a “blade runner” to track down humanoids who are replicants of a human host. Despite the complexity and depth of his character, which made Deckard a career highlight for Ford, the Star Wars star had mixed-to-negative feelings about the film for a very long time.

Ford was vocal about his dislike for the film and the creative differences he had with Scott, notably over the decision to do voiceovers for certain scenes. He also had a stressful experience on set. However, similar to the audience’s opinion about the film, Ford eventually had a change of heart and returned to star in Denis Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049. He explained that the 1982 film was “ahead of its time.” The financiers’ question about Scott’s decision to cast Ford also seems to reflect the overall lack of understanding of the director’s vision.

Our Take On Blade Runner’s Ford Casting

Ridley Scott’s Vision Made Blade Runner A Cult Classic Years Later

Blade Runner keeps getting better after each rewatch because of how sophisticated it really is. Deckard is not like action-heavy heroes such as Han Solo or Indiana Jones, and it became a career highlight for Ford largely because of Scott’s vision. He didn’t cast the star in a similar role as Han Solo. Instead, he took Ford in a different direction with a part that has emotional depth and complexity.

It makes me wonder whether the financiers would challenge Scott’s decision if they were aware of Ford’s Star Wars role. The answer is probably yes, though it could be for a whole different reason. It took the audiences and critics years to catch up with Scott’s vision, but the good thing is, the brilliance of Blade Runner eventually didn’t go unnoticed.

Source: GQ