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Harrison Ford continues to be one of those actors who won't let age stop them from doing just about anything. This includes starring in the hotly anticipated fifth and final Indiana Jones film at the age of 79. Famously, Ford could only film in ten-minute increments after sustaining an injury on the set of the blockbuster. Of course, this was far from the only time Ford has been injured while making a movie. For instance, his broken leg on the set of The Force Awakens resulted in a $2 million lawsuit. But Ford's work ethic despite getting injured is no doubt one of the reasons why he's one of the highest-grossing actors of all time.
Over the years, Harrison Ford has also proven himself to be an incredibly skilled pilot. Despite a rather famous crash, the Shrinking star has also used his plane and helicopter to actually save lives. But, in a 2023 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Ford suggested that his life-saving days may have come to an end. Here's what he had to say...
Did Harrison Ford Save Someone?
Harrison Ford is, indeed, a hero. Although, he would likely loathe reading that. After all, the Indiana Jones and Star Wars actor does his best to do his good deeds under the radar. He clearly doesn't mind getting his hands dirty, but he certainly doesn't want all the attention that comes with it. Unfortunately for him, and fortunately for fans, the press has picked up on these stories. And most involve him rescuing stranded hikers while flying his helicopter over Wyoming, the state in which the actor currently spends most of his time.
The first recorded instance of Ford rescuing someone in his helicopter came on July 31st, 2000. According to Yahoo Sports, Ford rescued a young hiker named Sarah George. During her five-hour climb of Table Mountain in Wyoming, George suffered dehydration. This caused her companions to call for help. But they clearly didn't expect to see Han Solo as part of the response team.
Ford had offered to use his piloting skills for good when he moved to the state.
Just one year later, Ford used his helicopter to help find and rescue a missing 13-year-old in Yellowstone National Park. According to CBSNews, Ford gave the boy a hug and a handshake after rescuing him. According to the boy's mother, this was even better than the autograph his schoolmates asked if he received.
But Harrison Ford doesn't just save people by the air, he does it on land too. According to E News, the Shrinking star actually saved a woman in 2017 after she got into a car accident in San Paulo, California. After her car flipped over, Ford helped pull her out of the car and waited with her until an ambulance arrived.
This event occurred just after Ford helped to direct traffic out of a tunnel where his car was hit. There's no doubt that most celebrities certainly wouldn't have done anything like this.
Why Harrison Ford May Be Done Saving People's Lives?
During his 2023 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Harrison Ford was asked about his experience saving people with his helicopter. During the conversation, the Indiana Jones star revealed that one of the interactions he had with a stranded hiker he picked up in his helicopter led him to quit the life-saving business.
"One time we picked up this woman who was hypothermic on the mountain. She barfed in my cowboy hat but didn’t know who I was until the next day," Ford explained to The Hollywood Reporter. "I stopped doing it because we would be lucky enough to find somebody and then they’d be on Good Morning America talking about 'a hero pilot.' It’s nothing f***ing like that. It’s a team effort. It’s lame to think about it that way."
Ultimately, the attention that his good deeds have brought him have turned him off from doing them. It seems as though Ford simply doesn't want all the credit, nor does he desire any of the kudos that these moments bring him. If anything, this fact makes him even more of a hero... Not that he wants to hear that...
Is Harrison Ford Still Flying?
While Harrison Ford may not want to go and rescue stranded hikers anymore, he is certainly still flying. His famous plane crash on a Los Angeles golf course, which ended up shattering his pelvis, according to The Hollywood Reporter, also hasn't deterred him. But just because Ford is still flying doesn't mean that he's not a little more careful after the incident...
"My wife [Calista Flockhart] does not fly with me in vintage airplanes anymore — she will in others. I certainly don’t want to have to recover from that kind of accident again," Harrison Ford explained to The Hollywood Reporter about how the crash has altered his perception of flying.
"It was really hard on my family and it was hard on me. I went back to flying," Ford continued. "I know what happened. So that’s part of the reason [I went back]. There was a mechanical issue with the airplane I could not have known about or attended to in any way. So in the words of the great philosopher Jimmy Buffett: S*** happens."
When asked by the journalist at The Hollywood Reporter if the element of flying being out of his control was terrifying or not, Ford responded by saying the following:
"You never do anything perfect. That’s a dangerous concept. So you’re always looking to see what you did. Flying is especially like that. After every flight, you can analyze the flight and say, 'Remember when I did that? That was a rookie mistake.'"
