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MrBaggins
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quote: Originally posted by JohnT
*snip*
provide financing
*snip* |
without which films don't get made.
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JohnT

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Capitalist
Mar 1999 time: 00:19
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quote: Originally posted by MrBaggins
How about you find any real information contradicting the story regarding Harrison Ford. |
From the FAQ at alt.fan.harrison-ford:
"American Graffiti was the surprise hit of 1973, and, more importantly, it marked the beginning of a lasting friendship between director and actor. A few years later, when Lucas was unable to cast the role of Star Wars' cynical space adventurer Han Solo, he asked Ford to read for the part and, at the age of thirty-four, the actor-turned-carpenter was a star in one of the most phenomenal blockbusters in the history of cinema.
In 1974, Harrison would land his career's only bad-guy role in the Francis Ford Coppola drama The Conversation. Harrison's role, Martin Stett, a supporting role, would be one of his best received performances of his career. Starring Oscar-winner Gene Hackman, The Conversation would end up winning The Cannes Film Festival and be nominated as Best Picture at The Oscars."
a. Harrison Ford was not found by a "Studio Executive." As I said, he was asked to audition for the part by George Lucas.
b. Note: He did not read the lines while they were trying to find the female lead - he auditioned for the role of Han Solo at the behest of the director.
c. He did work for both Coppola and Lucas. Hell, one of the films he costarred in won the Palm d' Or (sp!)! Imagine having that on your resume and trying to pass yourself off as an "unknown." 
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MrBaggins
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From the very same alt.fan.harrison-ford FAQ
In 1969, Harrison's first major carpenter job was building a new recording studio for Brazilian composer Sergio Mendes. After the great and professional job he did with Mr. Mendes' studio, word started to spread about this young man's attention to detail. Because of Harrison's great carpentry skills, and with everyone wanting to hire his services, he would become known as the carpenter to the stars, working his way across Hollywood, from home to home, mansion to mansion, earning bigger bucks than he was being offered in small film roles. Despite the fact that his only knowledge of carpentry came from the books he checked out of the Encino Public Library, Ford discovered he possessed a natural gift with tools, and before long the novice builder was earning a respectable living constructing everything from decks to bookcases. He occasionally supplemented his income with small television and film roles whenever he could land them.
and
In 1973 Fred Roos came through, landing Harrison a small, yet scene-stealing role as Bob Falfa in George Lucas' American Graffiti. Harrison was being offered $485 a week for his role. Figuring he could earn much more than that in carpentry, Harrison initially turned down the role. Fred Roos, who was producing the film, did a little negotiating with friend/director George Lucas, and secured Harrison a paycheck for $500 dollars a week for his work on the coming of age story that was to be CO-produced by American Zoetrope, Francis Ford Coppola's production company.
HOWEVER
Ford was still making his living as a carpenter in 1977
and
Although Star Wars made Ford a star, he had no luck replicating its box-office magic until Lucas's The Empire Strikes Back welcomed Han Solo back to the silver screen.
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MrBaggins
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quote: Originally posted by JohnT
Somehow the argument got turned around to whether Harrison was a carpenter, as opposed to the original assertion made by you last night at 00:00 (by my time (greenwich -5)) that he was an unknown "discovered" by some studio exec - ala Lauren Bacall being "discovered" at a coffee shop (another Hollywood fable).
Otoh, I was incorrect in my statement that he didn't have to do carpentry work after AG, but that wasn't the original debate.
The fact is that he was a known quantity who had worked with Lucas before, had co-starred in two movies that were nominated for Best Picture (even playing the lead villain (sp) in one), and he purposefully auditioned for the role of Han Solo at Lucas' behest. Nothing in the original statement by "Hello" magazine even remotely smacks of the truth, and that was my point in all this. |
I'll differ that he didn't necessarily get auditioned as per Hello's allegation, yet say again that he certainly didn't have a Breakout, defining 'Breakout' for the purposes of Harrison Ford, to be 'to cease to need to be a carpenter full time'.
Even with the critical success of the previous roles he was involved in... he still needed to work as a carpenter, and did not personally receive a nomination.
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MrBaggins
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I don't agree...
FWIW I haven't seen others argue "American Graffiti" as definably Harrisons breakout role. Who appointed you to be the definer of breakout roles?
FWIW it wasn't until Indiana Jones until Ford got Star billing, so it stands to reason that Ford's breakout role happened just prior to that... the combination of his roles in Star Wars and Empire Strikes Back.
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