Arnold Schwarzenegger was one of many action stars that once ruled the world of cinema back in the day. But although fellow actor Harrison Ford was no stranger to action films himself, Schwarzenegger didn’t feel Ford was truly billed as an action hero.
Schwarzenegger theorized he had Spielberg to thank for that.
Arnold Schwarzenegger felt Steven Spielberg helped stop Harrison Ford from being typecast
Being an action star was once both a gift and a curse for Schwarzenegger. His reputation for thrilling blockbusters helped make him one of the biggest megastars in the film industry at one point. But soon Schwarzenegger felt pigeonholed in the action genre.
“Everyone gave me the same type of a script. Action, heroic, kick-ass — one script would be 78 kills and the other would be maybe 54 kills, but it was all the same kind of thing. It was often ripping off the shirt and showing the muscles to make sure that they understand that yeah, I am the real true action hero,” Schwarzenegger once told Buzzfeed.
This wasn’t a feeling exclusive only to Schwarzenegger. His fellow 80s action star Sylvester Stallone also once grew frustrated with being typecast as an action hero. But it was a curse Schwarzenegger felt that Ford had an easier time avoiding.
Ford was gaining traction as an action hero himself. His iconic role as Han Solo helped establish him as a superstar. Afterwards, being the face of Lucas’ and Spielberg’s Indiana Jones franchise arguably helped Ford reach similar heights as Schwarzenegger.
But whereas Schwarzenegger and Stallone spent years trying to maneuver around being typecast, Schwarzenegger felt Ford was immediately able to dodge the same fate. The Terminator star believed Steven Spielberg’s own immense star-power at the time contributed to Ford’s luck.
“Some people are blessed,” Schwarzenegger said in a resurfaced interview with the LA Times. “Harrison Ford was doing great action movies but was never promoted as an action star because the director [Steven Spielberg] was the star…So, Harrison Ford was celebrated as an action guy but never typecast as an action guy.”
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Harrison Ford initially wasn’t wanted for ‘Indiana Jones’
Ford wasn’t the first pick for the franchise that would turn him into a megastar. Both Spielberg and Lucas were heavily involved in the first film Raiders of the Lost Ark. And although Ford may seem like the ideal choice for Indiana Jones now, Lucas had reservations about working with Ford again. If only because he wanted to avoid having the type of relationship that other directors had with actors.
“I was wary of Harrison and I becoming like Scorsese and De Niro. I thought, ‘Let’s create a new icon.’ We found Tom Selleck, but as soon as the network heard, his option on Magnum P.I. got picked up,” Lucas once explained to Empire.
Without Selleck, Lucas and Spielberg circled back to Ford. They were soon both sold on the star, but Lucas doubted he’d be willing to sign on for multiple Indiana Jones films. The Star Wars filmmaker didn’t even want to approach Ford with the offer, positive Ford would turn him down.
“Steven said to try anyway,” Lucas said. “I went to Harrison and he read the script and said, ‘Yeah, I’ll do a three-picture deal. I’d love to’”
Harrison Ford once revealed how he avoided being typecast as an action star
Ford knew there was a possibility of being typecast in one genre. But in an old interview with BBC, The Fugitive star felt his career choices helped him be more than just an action star.
“I’ve always been aware of the potential to be trapped in the action genre, because of the commercial success of the first films that I did. But if you look carefully, you will see that I made every effort from the very beginning of my career to vary the kinds of genres and roles – to not only do that kind of film,” he said.
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