NEW YORK, July 19, 2002
Harrison Ford As A Russian Hero
Ford Talks About 'K-19: The Widowmaker'
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In his latest film, "K-19: The Widowmaker," Ford plays Russian captain Alexi Vostrikov, who tries to balance his responsibility to the Russian government with the needs of his men. The Early Show's Jane Clayson sat with the actor to find out more about it.
The film is based on a true submarine accident in 1961. As the sub that Ford's character commands, named K19, sits off American soil, it springs a nuclear leak and threatens a meltdown. If the crew can't cool the reactor, it may accidentally set off World War III.
"It's the story of another culture, told from that culture's point of view, without an American character, you know, to pull you through it; without any American editorial, journalistic point of view. It's really a Russian story told from a Russian point of view. I don't know if there's any kind of precedent for that. I've never seen that before,” Ford notes.
So what is next for Ford?
Indiana Jones is coming back. “I'm not doing it alone,” Ford is quick to point out. Steven Spielberg is working on it as well. “We're working on the script now. We've got a block of time, where we're open, if the script pans out, and we think it will. I'm excited about it…I think we can make a really good movie,” Ford says.
As for his personal life, Ford has been quite a bit in the tabloids after his divorce with Melissa Mathison. But being a very private person, an occupational hazard is not what he calls it.
“I consider it to be a national disgrace, the way we have this obsession with celebrity and that there's no test of truth in journalism, if we dare to call it journalism. They just make stuff up and it's hurtful to the people who are involved. And the people that are close to the people involved. And I think it's a disgrace,” says Ford.
So would he have don’t anything different knowing what he knows now?
“You know, you can't. It's been my life. The work that I've done has been a good part of my life. And it's allowed me to give my family certain comforts and certain opportunities. It has taken its toll as well. So if I had a chance to look at it on paper before I would have read the fine print a little more carefully,” he says.
Fast Facts About Harrison Ford:
- Born July 13, 1942 in Chicago, Ill.
- Listed his acting credit as Harrison J. Ford until 1970, even though he has no middle name, because there was already a silent actor from the '20s named Harrison Ford.
- Has a home in New York City and an 800-acre ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
- Often flies his own single engine plane between residences; also flies a helicopter.
- Chosen as People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive in 1998.
- Is a very private person and rarely gives interviews.
- Says that "The Mosquito Coast" was his favorite film to make.
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