Patrick Stoner: You spent some time around Bill Clinton before doing this role in AIR FORCE ONE. Isn't it true that, to a large extent, it's the attitude and actions of those around the president that heightens the presidential prestige?
Harrison Ford: I could see that, the way the people around the president reacted was very special. I do think that's what creates the feeling of presidential behavior.
Stoner: Last night, we both were at one of those parties the studio throws to get ready for the opening of films like this, and there were a lot of U.S. Air Force people there. How did they react to the making of this film?
Ford: I think they felt we were quite realistic in our representation of their hardware capacities and what it is they do. They were pleased we cared enough to get it right.
Stoner: Throughout the film, there are examples of people willing to give their lives to save the president. It made me think about the depth of dedication these individuals must have.
Ford: Yes, it's rather moving, isn't it? It's not just the man, it's the country. That's something that allows an audience to feel an unbridled pride -- for some strange reason, since it is, after all, clearly entertainment and somewhat fantastical -- but you do get a moment of pure pleasure when he triumphs that is not so much attached to the man, as it is to the whole mechanism working together.
Stoner: You know, Ed Asner once said he wanted to be an actor because in doing so he could be everything else as well. I suppose this is a silly thought, but it hits me that it must feel rather special to be able, for a time, to feel a bit of what it's like to be the person who holds that office.
Ford: No, it's not a silly question at all. But I have to tell you that it didn't feel different, and I'll try to tell you why. I have played powerful men before, and I don't think it felt that much different. Even being a movie star tends to duplicate many of the reactions that are similar -- the feelings of privilege and power, and how you are treated as a result of them. I didn't feel it was necessary to study the presidency or even do much research because I think we all can easily imagine what it is like from what we see in the news. Now, that was aided greatly by the authentic feeling of all of the technical things that surrounded and supported my portrayal of the president, and THEY took a lot of study and preparation.
Stoner: How did you like the final cut of the film?
Ford: I was very impressed. You spend a lot of time working on a film, and sometimes you're disappointed at the result, but I loved what Wolfgang [Petersen, the director] did in the early stages, and it just got better in the later versions. I hugged him and thanked him for making it work so well.
Stoner: It's nice to know that you still care so much about your work.
Ford: That's what it's all about.
Return to AIR FORCE ONE review.
