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Interviews

Highlights from a radio interview Mark and Harrison Ford did back in 1976 for KPLA.

 

DJ: ‘How did you do the sword? The light sword? What did you have in your hand? Just a thing and they added all the light ....’
Mark: ‘Well, they had a couple ways of doing it. One was just the handle of it and you pretend it’s there. And the special effects people at Industrial Light and Magic are doing all the effects. John Dykstra who put it in. There was another one which-- you don’t want to give away the magician’s tricks, but....’
DJ (whispered): ‘Go ahead!’
Mark: ‘Yeah?! No, it was actually there, and shot through special glass with special lighting, so that it looked cheesy if you were doing it. But if somebody else held it and you looked through the lens, it looked perfect, you know! So, you had the confidence that it was gonna look alright.’
DJ: ‘You had a neon tube in there....’
Mark: ‘Well, no. It rotated. It spun around. It was coated with a special material that looked like sand-coloured sandpaper with like very crystalline pieces of glass and so forth that rotated and had a wire that went up my hand.’
Mark: ‘...and you know it’s tied up, too, with my father who the Alec Guiness character knew and was an associate of. In other words, it’s a weapon that is considered old-fashioned in the galaxy we’re living in now and sort of, you know, like a poetic tip-of-the-hat to the past or whatever. I mean, this is a weapon that hasn’t been used for hundreds of years.’
DJ: ‘The most exciting part of the picture is probably that last quarter which is basically a World War I dogfight. But I suppose when they shot it, all you did was sit interminably in these seats with the things around you, and made like you were having a grand dogfight.’
Mark: ‘Yeah. I think that’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done...’
DJ: ‘Yeah?"
Mark: ‘...acting-wise. Because you were imagining all these things. And plus...’
Harrison: ‘Wanting to go to the bathroom.’
Mark (chuckling) ‘Well, that. Because once you were up in the cockpit, that was it. It’s like the dentist’s chair. Forget it, you know. Think of something else. The director wanted to go all the way through, like, 11 pages of dialogue. I mean, you went through the entire Star Wars part of it, imagining what the other actors’ lines were.’
Harrison: (whispering something in background.)
Mark: ‘Responding to lines you hadn’t heard read to you. So, in other words, you memorised all their lines and your lines. And they were rocking this cockpit, you know, bored. And it was hard.’

* * * * * * * * * * *

DJ: ‘ Lucas is right.... We all want to go see Flash Gordon without all the rest of it- with the good. You know, the story is really simple-minded. I was talking about it earlier and it’s the kid going to join the Navy.’
Mark: ‘I’m really amazed that you said that because I remember I picked up the script at ILM and it had been a while since I tested for George. And they said "What part are you?" I said "I don’t know." And they found the script with my name on it, and they gave it to me. I had it for a week and they called me up. They said, "Did you get the script?" I said, "Well, I picked it up, but I don’t get it."'
(Chuckling.)
Mark: ‘And I said "Can you story-board it for me or have somebody come over and read it out lout?" It took me about 3 times, but then I can’t chew bubblegum and tie my shoelaces at the same time.’
DJ: ‘Ah, but the incredible.... It’s a set piece- a compendium cliché. All those goodies from the science-fiction stories that we used to read when we were thinking about "Gee! Wouldn’t it be great to be there?" and ‘Wouldn’t I sometime go out there and look at that?" and it’s all here!’
Mark: ‘Isn’t that what it is? It really is. It’s like Treasure Island. It’s just finding out what’s beyond that.’
DJ: ‘Alien planets and starships as big as planets and ray guns and incredible.... that whole station....It’s going to be great.’
Mark: ‘I know. It’s wonderful.’

* * * * * * * * * *

DJ: ‘Do you have any stories about the technical side of it, ‘cos I’m interested to know what they did to make things, for instance, look huge. And how they did the perspective in some of these sets.’
Mark: ‘They hired me, for one thing.’ (Laughs.)
DJ: ‘You may not have seen this.’
Mark: ‘Look at how tall I look on the cover of that novel.’
(Chuckling.)
DJ: ‘Yup.’
Mark: ‘Don’t I look good?’
DJ: ‘Yup.’
Mark: ‘I’m standing up at this moment.’
(Laughter.)

* * * * * * * * * *

DJ: ‘I was going to segue to a question to Harrison Ford but I ain’t gonna do it after this. Yes I am. What were the differences in working American Graffiti and working with Star Wars? Obviously, special effects. What, if anything. else?’
DJ2: ‘There were so many spfx in American Graffiti’.
DJ: ‘There was only 1. There was the license plate on the car.'
Harrison: ‘Basically a difference in doughnuts. There basically is very little difference. George has the same....’ ‘I don’t know what the difference is.... Graffiti, I think there was probably a bit more freedom in Star Wars than there was in Graffiti. In Graffiti, we stuck very closely to the script. I guess we did in this, too!’
Mark: ‘You didn’t. I did.’
Harrison laughs.
Mark: ‘The thing is, what is amazing about Harrison is like I was over there for a couple-three weeks. And then Harrison comes along and, up until then, I’m the only American there. My first movie, all these things going on. And then, finally, you have somebody that comes in that you can bounce ideas off of. I mean, not me... he had total.... He came in with amazing things in his own mind about the film. And I was just- I was literally doing every comma, every period, every semi-colon. And in comes Harrison, he’s got big speeches crossed out in the script with arrows. With lines written out.’
DJ: ‘All you screen-writers out there, listen to this....’
Mark: ‘That’s the way he did it. It’s not in that novel because they did it earlier- before they knew Harrison was gonna do it. And I think they’re very nervous about the whole thing.’
Laughter.
DJ: ‘You have to have a director who’s got a lot of confidence if he’s willing to cut speeches and cut ‘em down to lines.’
Harrison: ‘It’s not a matter of that. It’s really a matter of making things work. I mean, we’d come into a scene and we’re faced with dialogue straight from Buck Rogers.’
Mark: (chuckling) ‘I loved it.’
Harrison: ‘I mean, I used to threaten George with tying him up and making him repeat his own dialogue ‘
Laughter.
Mark: ‘He kept threatening to do that all through the film. At gun-point.’
Harrison: ‘But then, the task is to make it work somehow. And that’s where the actual fun and energy of the whole thing came from. Was making this stuff work.’
DJ: ‘When you would cut a speech, you would tell Lucas first or would you walk on, do 2 lines....’
Mark: ‘Normally, you’d try... you’d do a completely different dialogue. If George didn’t like it, you know he’d come up and say ‘Don’t do that’. But 90% of the time, Harrison would do the lines, you know. The same thought, the same theme....’
Harrison: ‘The only person it really bothered was the script girl, who had the original script.’
Mark: ‘Her hair’s white now.’
Harrison: ‘But George would often not notice that there was any changes made...’
Mark: ‘No.’
Harrison: ‘...because it wasn’t a question of changing the impulse of the scene. It was a matter of trying to make it more speakable.’
DJ: ‘Have you read any science fiction...’
Harrison: ‘Nope.’
DJ: ‘...since starting the picture? Don’t want to? Or do you care?’
Harrison: ‘I have other priorities. I don’t dislike science fiction, it’s just...’
Mark: (sotto voce) ‘He’s going to get on to his carpentry business now. Watch’
(normal voice) ‘He’s really getting nervous about the whole thing.’
Harrison: (chuckles) ‘No, I’m really not particularly interested in science fiction.’
DJ: ‘Okay. You don’t have to be. Not particularly interested in being in the 50’s either, right? I wanted to mention the only self-indulgent spot in this book I think for George Lucas, I mean of this sort of indulgence at least, is when 2 of the Empire’s soldiers were being referred to and one of them’s number was THX1138.’
Mark: ‘In the book... now that comes in the book, Harrison’s character Han Solo is running the Millennium Falcon, one of the largest Corellian starships and it’s sucked in by a tractor beam by the ultimate weapon of the dark forces, the Death Star. So we’re sucked in and Harrison, you know, it’s just like in Wizard of Oz when the Lion and the Tin Man put on the monkey suits, Harrison conks out one of the Stormtroopers and puts on their gear.’
Harrison: ‘Yeah, right.’
Mark: ‘He’s dressed totally as a Stormtrooper. And in the film, he steps out, and says ‘Can you give us a hand with these heavy boxes up here?" Two more Stormtroopers come out and you hear offstage the thumps and whatever and he put that in there. But the way it happened in the movie is all really my fault ‘cos I was trying to be cutesy and you know, in-jokes. And we’re taking Chewbacca, this character in the beginning, and pretending he’s a prisoner, to get him through the Death Star, in Stormtrooper outfits.’
DJ: ‘One of the good guys is so huge and ungainly big that he wouldn’t fit into the suits so they made him a prisoner so they could get him through.’
Mark: ‘Right. He’s big. He’s a race of people that....’
DJ: ‘You’ve seen the movie, folks. Those movies....’
Mark: ‘Right. I think they called it The Bad News Bears here, but... title change.’
Laughter.
Mark: ‘This big ape-guy, played by Walter Matthau. Is being lead to the Death Star....’
DJ: ‘On loan from Dino DeLaurentis.’
Mark: ‘Right. It’s a boring story and getting even longer as we talk. They say "What are you doing with this thing?" A guy in the corridor is challenging our right to be there. And in the script, it says "It’s a prisoner transfer from cell block X197484- a lot of letters and lots of numbers. And just because it was easy, because I thought I’d stroke the director, and he didn’t like it.’
Laughter.
Mark: ‘I said "It’s a prisoner transfer from cell block THX, you know, 1138. He didn’t catch it like the first 2 times. When he did, he said "Don’t do that"’
Laughter.
DJ: ‘Enough already!’
Mark: ‘Right. Which is what he said to me the first time I tested for him. But I did it anyway ‘cos he forgets. He’s really good that way, and he forgot I did that. I swear to you as I’m sitting here he didn’t know that came across. But now it’s in the movie and they transcribed the novel from the film, that’s it! Harrison gave his Social Security number when he was reading off the numbers of the particular serial number. He’s going "2-3-0-7-4....’

* * * * * * * * * *

Harrison: ‘Alec Guiness.’
Mark: ‘ And Peter Cushing...’
DJ: ‘Who’s known as the "man in the spacesuit".’
Mark: ‘The Man in the White Suit. That’s the only science fiction film, right? He doesn’t even understand- well, he’s an amazing guy. He doesn’t think he’s important, he doesn’t think his films will last. He, you know, he all of a sudden he turns around, says "You know, I don’t want to talk about my career. Let’s talk about yours." So we talked about salad dressing commercials.’
DJ: ‘If you ever see him, point out to him... I’m sure that he does not know anything about science fiction. There’s a reference to him in Heinlein’s novel called Double Star and there’s a very flattering reference to him. You gotta point it out to him sometime.’
Mark: ‘Double Star?’
DJ: ‘Double Stars . It’s the story about the actor who is hired to impersonate a leader of a planet. Or an ambassador. He winds up taking up with a robot and during the acting... when Heinlein’s setting the character, he says that this guy is, he says that any good actor is doing the double in impersonation is faceless, like the immortal Alec Guiness.’
Mark: ‘Oh. I know, but that’s the thing. I’ve never seen him be bad. Even movies I didn’t care for. He’s always been...’
DJ: ‘Um-hmm. ‘
Mark: ‘Amazingly...’
DJ: ‘Oh, he’s incredible.’
Mark: ‘...creative. He is, he is! But try and talk about any of his movies and, uh.... He once gave me a dollar to go away.’
Laughter.
Mark: ‘He did. An American dollar, which really made me run fast. If it was a pound, I would have lingered around, you know, done some impressions, and then just kind of shuffled away. But, a dollar. I was outta there!.’
Few seconds silence.
Mark: ‘Dead air!’
DJ: ‘What had you been doing before? You said salad dressing commercials. What is your experience?’
Mark: ‘I’ve never acted. I’m one of fifteen children.’
Harrison is laughing while Mark says this, and the DJ joins in.
Mark: ‘I am!’

* * * * * * * * * *

Chuckling.
Mark: ‘No, I was.... My father was a missionary in China.’
Harrison is laughing again.
Mark: ‘That’s my dog "Wheezy" in the background there. He’s cute. Come on, come on, boy! Come on!’

* * * * * * * * * *

Mark: ‘But I’ve never worked- Harrison was never with Peter Cushing. He tried to tell me he did, but he didn’t. But. I looked at the script. And I didn’t work with Peter Cushing, but I went to work on the days that he did. He barred me from the set.’
Chuckling.
DJ: ‘You must have had quite a time! Alec Guiness gives you a dollar to go away, and Cushing bars you from the set.’
Mark: ‘I know. But they’re my favourites.’

* * * * * * * * * *

DJ: ‘When’s the picture gonna be released?’
Mark: ‘Well, when? We heard rumours of it...’
Harrison: ‘Quite a while ago...’
Mark: ‘...coming out on Memorial Day.’
Harrison: ‘Uhh. Memorial Day next year.’
Mark: ‘What does that commemorate, Harrison? Putting you on the spot.’
Harrison: ‘Nothing that I know of.’
Mark: ‘It’s a few days before June starts, which we all know is when we get out of school.’
DJ: ‘I don’t know where this comes from but.... Okay, I’m gonna do it.’
Mark: ‘What are you do- are you going to be real nasty to me now?’
DJ: ‘No, no! Not at all. There’s a concept we have on the show...’
Mark: ‘Okay...’
DJ: ‘...which is that although we don’t know it, somebody in our audience does.’
DJ2: ‘Whatever it is.’
DJ: ‘Yeah.’
Mark: ‘Call-in?’
DJ: ‘Right.’
Mark: ‘Oh, I’m so... Then that is why that light has been flashing for the last four hours...’
DJ: ‘No, that is for something else. The lines we’re gonna do are these. Okay, tell you what let’s do. Let’s open the phones. Our guests are Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford, soon to be seen, as they say, in The Star Wars. So, question or comment for them, if you will. And also, if there’s anybody out there who can locate the reference to "veterans of future wars", call us and let us know where it’s from.’ And, for God’s sake, don’t let us down, we’re on the spot!’
Mark: ‘Oh, look at Harrison! He’s running for the pay-phone.’

* * * * * * * * * *

DJ: ‘An acceptable answer. Our guests, Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford of the Star Wars. If you have a question or a comment, give us a call, and you’re on the air. Go ahead.’
Caller1: ‘Okay, whatever happened to Wizards? I’m not gonna believe you guys, unless, you know, you tell me, ‘cos I’ve been holding my breath and turning blue, and things like that.’
DJ: ‘He’s talking about Bakshi’s animation...’
Mark: ‘I know. I did a voice for them.’
DJ: ‘Oh. So tell him. We have an answer for you, sir.’
Mark: ‘I went out and I got a day’s work on War Wizards. At the time, it was called War Wizards. And it was a Ralph Bakshi animated cartoon and I did a part that has like four lines at the same time I was testing for a lead which I didn’t get. And they changed the name to just Wizards. And it’s gonna come out before Star Wars, like February- what number? We’re not sure. Sometime in February it’s gonna come out and he didn’t let me see very much. I didn’t see any storyboards. I saw drawings of my character and about three others. And I stood up in a dark studio and I did four impressions of the Munchkins, and that was my job. So I don’t know what the story is or anything else. But it’s going to be coming out. It’s just called Wizards.’
Caller1: ‘Yeah. The announcement was gonna come out in October and I’ve been sort of twiddlin’ my thumbs and...’
Mark: ‘Yeah. Are you a big Bakshi fan?’
Caller1: ‘Ah, yeah. I think so. It’s gonna be the first Bakshi film I’ve seen. But I’m lookin’ forward to that with my tongue hangin’ out. It sounds good.’
DJ: ‘There’s a couple of others playing in town right now. Fritz the Cat I know is playing.’
DJ2: ‘And Heavy Traffic and another one. They’re playing as a triple bill.’
Mark: ‘I saw a couple other films where your tongue would be hanging out, but they’re not animation.’
Caller1: ‘Well...’
Mark: ‘Oh, all right.’
Caller1: ‘Science fiction and fantasy and all that stuff. But I’d rather they keep their clothes on.’
Laughter.
Mark: ‘I’m shocked...’
DJ: ‘Stay away from Flesh Gordon.’
Mark: ‘Right. I was talking about The Shaggy DA. I dunno who this man is...’
Laughter.
Caller1: ‘Thank-you.’
Mark: ‘Thank-you!’
DJ: ‘So the answer is February as far as we know. Anything else?’
Caller1: ‘No, that’s all. Thanks.’
DJ: ‘All right. Thank-you very much!.’
Mark: ‘It’s going to be one of the shows, all right... I can tell.’
DJ: ‘What do you mean "going to be"?’

* * * * * * * * * *

Caller3: ‘Yeah, I was at WesterCon last July and part of a meeting we had that slide show. And, a...’
Mark: ‘Wild, wasn’t it?’
Caller3: ‘Got the impression that you were going to have a return engagement?’
Mark: ‘Well, let’s see. Charlie Lippincott and I, and I, me, Mark Hamill, personal friend of mine! were at WesterCon. And that slide show was great! You saw more of the movie than I ever have. I’m a fan. I go to those things anyway, job or no jobs, so I think probably the next one we’ll do is in Los Angeles. And the lady you mentioned to me earlier.’
DJ: ‘Bjo Trimble. What he’s talking about is EchoCon. There won’t be a EchoCon.’
Caller3: ‘Not held this year.’
Mark: ‘There won’t be an EchoCon?’
DJ: ‘No.’
Mark: ‘There’s got to be some kind of con. They just keep coming back.’
DJ: ‘There will be professional cons, but she won’t be doing them, she...’
Caller3: ‘There’ll also be the LostCon 3 over April 1, 2 and 3.’
Mark: ‘Where is that?’
Caller3: ‘Right here in Los Angeles. A very small, relaxed con.’
DJ: ‘Okay. I tell you what. If I put you on hold, could you give Terry the information? Where, and how much and like that?’
Caller3: ‘Well, sure.’
DJ: ‘Okay.’
Mark: ‘I don’t know if we’ll have a display there like we had the last time with the robots and whatever. I’ll show up.’
Caller3: ‘This is a relaxed con. Maybe two hundred- 250 people. Don’t expect a...’
Mark: ‘Right.’
Caller3: ‘... con turn-out.’

* * * * * * * * * *

Caller5: ‘You’re an actor, okay?’
Mark: ‘No, I’m not! Now, see, this is the big thing that people are getting confused. I was working at Associated Press, and there was a wire over the...’
Caller5: ‘You’re not an actor? You’re a liar!’
Mark: ‘No, I’m not. No, I’m not, though! I’ve never acted before.’
Caller5: ‘Are you a journalist?’
Mark: ‘No, I’m not. I was just- I was...’
DJ2: ‘I saw him on tv a couple of weeks ago. He’s right.’
Caller5: ‘What were you doing at AP?’
Mark: ‘I was a copy-boy.’
Caller5: ‘You’re a liar.’
Mark: ‘Well, I was a liar copy-boy.’
Caller5: ‘You’re a liar.’
Mark: ‘No, I’m not a liar. Just, okay. All seriousness aside. George Lucas hired me cos I never acted before. That’s it.’
Caller5: ‘What astounding bad judgement on his part.’
Mark: ‘Probably.’
DJ2: ‘Not necessarily.’
Mark: ‘And you alone will be the judge. But, you know. I mean, he probably knows what he is doing. He’s really smart.’
Caller5: ‘Never mind, then. I never go to films.’
Mark: ‘You don’t?’
Caller5: ‘They’re boring. I haven’t seen a good film since Zulu.’
DJ: ‘Zulu?’
Mark: ‘No, Zulu was a good movie.’
Caller5: ‘Mike, you saw that, didn’t you?’
DJ2: ‘No, I missed that.’
Caller5: ‘That’s where the 150 valiant line-troopers of the Battalion of Welsh Borderers held off the 3500 attacking Zulus.’
Mark: ‘From a true story.’
Caller5: ‘It’s a true story?...’
Mark: ‘It is a true story. And so is Star Wars. Now, like I said at the beginning, this is not science fiction. I don’t know why Mike wanted us on the show ‘cos it is a true story.’
Caller5: ‘Because the film you guys are allegedly plugging...’
Mark: ‘I’m plugging it so much, I have bruises.’
Chuckling.
Caller5: ‘... is a science fiction film!’
Mark: ‘No, it is not! It’s science fact.’
Caller5: ‘Say again.’
Mark: ‘It is science fact. And any rags, any bones, any bottles today.’
Caller5: ‘You can be aborted in mid-flight.’
Laughter.
Mark: ‘Through the airwaves? If so, I’m heading right to the bathroom, where I should have been hours ago.’
Caller5: ‘No, the Pacific is our ocean. The Atlantic, we don’t care what they do to it.’
Laughter.
DJ2: ‘Score one for the...’
Caller5: ‘... rather than a polar one.’
DJ2: ‘Not in the backyard.’
Mark: ‘I can’t say anything to that.’
Caller5: ‘As your talkative friend, Michael, whose name escapes me at the moment, would you repeat your name again, please? Talkative friend?’
DJ2: ‘Harrison Ford?’
Harrison: ‘No, no. Mark...’
DJ: ‘Mark Hamill.’
Harrison: ‘Hamill.’
DJ: ‘Oh?’
Mark: ‘I thought Harrison was the talkative one.’
DJ: ‘Yeah..’
Caller5: ‘The talkative one will be redesignated "Talkative one" now, okay? I’ll rename him.'
Laughter.
DJ2: ‘Call him "Luke".’
DJ: ‘That’s on the second level of the keyboard.’
Mark: ‘I know what he’s talking about and I’m very nervous of the whole thing.’
Harrison: ‘You’ve always known him that way, Backyard.’
Caller5: ‘Well, I’ll rename him to "Talkative One", okay?’
Mark: ‘Okay. Okay....’
Caller5: ‘Okay. You say you’re not a science fiction fan.’
DJ: ‘No, he is.’
Mark: ‘I love it to death. But you really annoy me. But Harrison does not know what science fiction is.’
Harrison: ‘I’m not talkative.’
Caller5: ‘But normally, I get paid to annoy people.’
Mark: ‘You do?! Boy, you’re getting double-time tonight.’
Caller5: ‘Well, it’s like mercenaries. Occasionally they punch someone out for free.’
Laughter.
Mark: ‘Why isn’t he in the studio and I’m at home annoying him? Talk to Harrison. Harrison is someone who hates science fiction.’
DJ2: ‘No, no. no. Leave it facing the mike.’
Caller5: ‘Mike, have you got other calls on the line?’
DJ2: ‘Yup.’
Caller5: ‘Why don’t we let them talk because I’m just enjoying myself and I’m sure I’m merely boring your friends.’
Mark: ‘You’re not, though. You are funny.’

* * * * * * * * * *

Caller6: ‘Yes. Asking both of you, would you do another so-called science fact film? Ever again? After this one.’
Harrison: ‘Why not?’
Caller6: ‘Mmm. I’m just wondering. Ah, sometimes some people just do one science fiction film and that’s it.’
DJ: ‘Okay. Fair question. Will you do it again? Not this one, another science fact film?’
Mark: ‘I wanna work! Hey!! I’m not doing anything all next week. But, see, you’re talking to a strange case. I love this kind of movie. I do! I love Ray Harryhausen, I love.... That’s what I grew up on. I’m just lucky, you know, that I’m in one. But... they ask you about that. They asked me about that at the science fiction convention. "Are you worried about being typed?" But if you’re typed, you’re working! Definitely. So, since I’m gonna check out in about 1987, I would be glad to be typed. I dunno.’
DJ2: ‘That’s only eleven years!’
Mark: ‘I know! And Harrison, here’s right back to you!’

* * * * * * * * * *

DJ: ‘Pull it towards you.’
Mark: ‘Okay.’
DJ2: ‘Good! Boy, what an actor! Takes direction and makes us laugh!’
Laughter.
DJ2: ‘Now that he’s gone, we can say all sorts of rude things about him, but we won’t. Instead, we will say that The Star Wars which could be a film worth seeing just because it’s not heavy. As Mark says, it’s not of social importance, it’s not an allegory. It’s fun!

* * * * * * * * * *

DJ: ‘Well, have you gone, Harrison? Are you still here?’
Harrison: ‘No, I’m still here.’
DJ2: ‘We were told you have a lot of stories about the producer George Lucas.’
Harrison: ‘No, the director George Lucas. He’s the director.’
DJ: ‘The director. Tell us some more about how he did his job, building The Star Wars.’
Harrison: ‘I don’t have a lot of stories. I was a participant in this experiment. I don’t know much more about it than you do.’
DJ: ‘You get the idea that somebody who’s in a picture mustn’t see it the way you do on the screen, especially in this picture. Apparently...’
Harrison: ‘I always thought about it from the point of view of my character.’
DJ: ‘Yeah.’
Harrison: ‘I really didn’t want to know too much more about it than that.’
DJ2: ‘What did Lucas tell you about your character? What did you figure out? I mean...’
Harrison: ‘He told me what he was earning a week.’
DJ2: ‘Seriously, is that essential? You’re playing a character in a thing that you know nothing about, so...’
Harrison: ‘Well, I know a lot about it. George didn’t hire me without figuring that I knew something about what he was talking about.’
DJ2: ‘Okay.’
Harrison: ‘But he didn’t hire me because I was capable of explaining what he was talking about.’
DJ2: ‘ You’re capable of explaining it in action if you’re capable of explaining it in dialogue. You can make the character work.’
Harrison: ‘Yeah. Hope so,’
DJ2: ‘How?’
Harrison: ‘Huh?’
DJ2: ‘Alright. By how, I mean...’
DJ: ‘What’s acting?’
DJ2: ‘Yeah. I guess that is what I mean.’
Harrison: ‘Well, if they’d told me I was gonna come here to tell you what acting was about, I would never have showed up.’
Laughter.
DJ: ‘You don’t like to talk about it. Or you don’t like to talk about it to people who don’t act.’
Harrison: ‘I don’t like to talk about it. I don’t like to hear myself talk about it.’
DJ2: ‘Yeah.’
Harrison: ‘Much less to you. I mean, I don’t really... . It amazes me that I’m even involved in it. But to hear myself talk about it is completely embarrassing.’
DJ: ‘Okay.’
Harrison: ‘Thank-you.’
DJ2: ‘Thank-you!’

* * * * * * * * * *

Mark: ‘Once more, give us the story that had the reference to Sir Alec, by Heinlein.’
DJ2: ‘Yes. It’s in a novel called Double Star. Robert A Heinlein. And we have a caller that has some information on it. Okay, go ahead!’
Caller8: ‘I think I have the reference.’
Mark: ‘You do? Hey!’
Caller8: ‘It’s in the February ‘56 Astounding. Am I echoing?’
DJ2: ‘Yes. Go ahead.’
Caller8: ‘Am I echoing now?’
DJ2: ‘No. Go ahead.’
Caller8: ‘It’s page nineteen. And the sentence occurs on the second column, the right-hand column. It says, "I needed a face as common-place, as impossible to remember, as the immortal Alec Guiness".’
DJ2: ‘Umm.’
Caller8: ‘And this is where they’re getting ready to make the actor up so he can escape from Earth.’
Mark: ‘All this week, on channel 28, they’re showing amazing Guiness films. They’re showing The Ladykillers, they’re showing Man in the White Suit, they’re showing-what else are they showing, Mike? They’re showing- what’s the heist thing?’
DJ2: ‘Lavender Hill Mob?’
Mark: ‘Lavender Hill Mob. Incred- I mean some of the best films...’
DJ: ‘Kind Hearts and Coronets.’
Mark: ‘Coronets. What- eight roles?’
DJ2: ‘Yeah.’
Mark: ‘He plays two women, the 70 year old vicar, it’s so amazing. You watch the films and say "Oh, yeah! I met that guy!" I thought it was Harrison Ford.’
Caller8: ‘Is this really true?’
DJ2: ‘Yes.’
Mark: ‘Absolutely!’
Caller8: ‘I have to go out and buy a television.’
Mark: ‘Or go over to Harrison’s house. Here’s his address....'
Caller8: ‘Sorry- too far away.’
DJ: ‘Okay. Some you win, some you lose. Thank-you very much for that, Bill. And thank-you Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford, for coming down and talking about your science fact programme on our science fiction programme.’
Mark: ‘All true.’
DJ2: ‘It’s The Star Wars. It’ll be out around Memorial Day.’
DJ: ‘I’ve enjoyed very much having both you gentlemen.’
Mark: ‘I’ve been having so much fun.’
DJ: ‘Harrison Ford hasn’t said as much, but his presence has been very obvious.’
Laughter.
DJ2: ‘Okay, good night and thank-you for listening.’