Harrison Ford is, to put it lightly, a Hollywood legend, with a slew of fine performances across various films to prove it. Of course, like so many actors, Ford wasn’t exactly an overnight success, and he had to pay his dues. Believe it or not, long before Ford landed the role of Star Wars’ Han Solo or was tapped to play Indiana Jones, he was told that he would “never” make it in the film industry. Obviously, that assertion proved to be untrue and, on top of that, it also created a full-circle moment for Ford years later.
Years ago, Ford appeared in 1966’s Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round, a James Coburn-led film in which he played a bellhop. Ford recently reflected on that experience during his appearance on Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson’s Where Everybody Knows Your Name podcast. As the humorously dry Ford recalled, his part was relatively straightforward. The Oscar nominee laid it out as follows:
I played a bell boy in a movie with James Coburn…. And my entire part was — and I’m dressed obviously, as a bell boy — ‘Mr. Jones, paging Mr. Jones.’ And he would say, ‘Boy,’ and I would say, ‘Mr. Jones, Room 251?’ And he’d say, ‘Yes,’ and I gave him the telegram.
So Ford’s film career started not on a bombastic note but on a far more subtle one. Based on the comments the Air Force one actor shared in the YouTube video, he thought he’d performed his role effectively. However, it turned out one of the newly installed bigwigs at the studio was far from impressed. Ford went on to detail the heated meeting he had with said exec, the late Jerry Tokofsky, and it wasn’t exactly friendly:
I got called into the office of the head of the new talent program, a man named Jerry Tokofsky. He was a few years older than me, so that allowed him to call me boy. ‘Boy,’ he said, ‘You’re never going to make it in this business. I saw the dailies from yesterday. I’m going to tell you a story. The first time Tony Curtis ever walked on a stage, he delivered a bag of groceries. You took one look at that guy and you said, “That’s a movie star.”’ And I leaned across the desk and said, ‘I thought you were supposed to think it was a grocery delivery boy.’ And he said, ‘Get the fuck out of here.’ And I did. And it went on like that for a year and a half. He did not like me. I did not like him.
Whew, Tokofsky really didn’t hold back his assessment of the then-young actor. Also, to be fair, it’s somewhat unfair to compare any up-and-coming actor to a young Tony Curtis. Something that most impresses me about the exchange between Tokofsky and Ford is how, even then, the latter didn’t mind getting sarcastic. And that tracks, given Ford is now known for being blunt or calling out people (mostly in light-hearted ways) during interviews and events. All in all, I’d say this anecdote deserves a spot in any biography about Ford.
Considering the trajectory of Ford’s career, it’s hard not to laugh about the irony of him being told he wouldn’t make it as a working actor. I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m incredibly thankful that Ford made it and starred in beloved movies like Raiders of the Lost Ark, Blade Runner, Working Girl, The Fugitive, Witness (which is one of his best movies) and more. Apparently, even Tokofsky had to eat a slice of humble pie, based on a cool moment Ford had in Paramount’s cafeteria years later:
But, years later, I’m sitting in the commissary at… 20th Century Fox. And I’m sitting there in the executive dining room, having lunch. And a man comes over with a little tray, and there’s a card on it, just like in the movies. And I pick up the card, and it says Jerry Tokofsky. And I turn it over, and on the back it said, ‘I missed my bet.’ …. Kind of cool, huh?
I don’t think a writer could script a better moment than that. Kudos to Tukofsky, who passed away in 2015 at the age of 95, for admitting he was wrong. Of course, today, Harrison Ford is more than an award-winning actor who chops it up with fellow action stars and shares blunt thoughts on Indiana Jones, Marvel and more. He’s also an esteemed mentor to co-stars, and he serves as a champion for movie theaters. I’d say that’s not bad for someone who was told early on that they had no chance of succeeding in show business.
