In this episode of pplpod, we explore the seven-decade career of Harrison Ford, a cinematic cultural icon who went from a self-taught carpenter to one of the highest-grossing actors in history.
Join us as we break down the legendary trajectory of the man behind Han Solo, Indiana Jones, and Rick Deckard, including:
- The Carpenter’s Break: How a "late bloomer" struggling at the bottom of the casting list supported his family through carpentry before George Lucas cast him in American Graffiti and Star Wars.
- The Action Hero: Ford’s dominance of the box office from the late 1970s to the 1990s, including his Oscar-nominated turn in Witness and his improvised stunts that led to a herniated disc on the set of Temple of Doom.
- Real-Life Skywalker: A look at Ford’s passion for aviation, from performing real-life helicopter rescues in Wyoming to surviving serious crashes, including a 2015 emergency landing on a golf course.
- The Late Renaissance: His recent embrace of television in Shrinking and 1923, and his 2025 entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Thaddeus Ross in Captain America: Brave New World.
- Beyond the Screen: Why he has spiders and snakes named after him, his decades of environmental activism with Conservation International, and his candid explanation for why he isn't "grumpy," but simply has an "abhorrence of boring situations".
