Han Solo is a Real Man

In the wake of endless sexual harassment charges against men of power both in politics and entertainment, I thought it would be refreshing to share a tale of a powerful man who is nothing short of a class act.

When I was 18 years old I moved to Hollywood in pursuit of fame and fortune – it was my lifelong dream to be an actor and I was determined to get my foot in the door. Mind you, this was before I fully understood and embraced feminism and I was still extremely naïve and clueless as to how the real world worked – especially Hollyweird.

One of those things I did was lots and lots of extra work. I was young, beautiful, smart, funny and knew I had what it took to achieve my Oscar worthy dreams but had no idea how to get there. My friend and I signed up with Central Casting as extras (or “background talent”) so we could get hands on experience in film and television, meet the heavy hitters, be seen and make a little money. We started getting booked right away because of our youth. I started out doing stints as a “college student” on Beverly Hills 90210 and Fresh Prince of Bel Air, and as a “young astronaut groupie” on the film Apollo 13. I was comfortable with these parts as they didn’t demand much were always a great way to meet new actor friends my age.

Then one day there was a call for young women 18-21 who were interested in playing “Cuban hookers” on a new film starring Harrison Ford titled Clear and Present Danger. The agent said there would be no gratuity involved, just us standing around a seedy bar in our hooker outfits trying to score customers. I was immediately intrigued because of the great Harrison Ford and thought it would be an amazing opportunity to work on a film with none other than Han Solo himself! I called my mom and ran it past her, she said if I didn’t have to do anything but stand there and look sexy it should be fine. So, I threw my hat in the ring and was almost immediately booked for the part.

When you are a non-union extra you are responsible for bringing your own clothes, so my mom and I put together a few “working girl” outfits and I excitedly headed to my first day on set. We shot in a makeshift warehouse that had been turned into a seedy Cuban night club – complete with a fog machine, disco balls, stripper poles and lots of men. I checked in with the assistant director, he approved my ensemble and we headed to the set. As I walked into the space where we would be shooting I got my first glimpse of Mr. Ford. He was meticulously going over his blocking and making sure he knew his mark (places he needed to stop moving so the camera could get a still shot) while silently repeating the lines of the scene to himself. I was overwhelmed! When doing work on film you hope to be able to work with the main actors themselves, but more times than not you are stuck in a crowd somewhere on a busy street. But, I was smack dab in front of Indiana Jones himself! And, he was such a freaking professional.

At that moment, the director handpicked me from the group and put me on set right next to Mr. Ford. I realized I would be featured in the scene and almost lost all bladder control. Ford and I locked eyes and his first question to me was, “Does your mother know you’re wearing that outfit?” To which I quickly replied, “My mother helped me pick out this outfit.” He made his devilishly sexy half smile and said, “Oh, so that’s how it is these days…” And we both laughed. I told him my mom and I were both excited that I was working on this film and figured it would be harmless since it was such a professional set with an incredible cast and crew. Right at that very moment the assistant director said to me, “Ok so this is what I want you to do. I want you to lean against this wall here and then…..(he scans the room for a random male extra, finds a really old guy and calls him over) I want to you wrap your legs around this man while he holds you up against the wall and I want you to be hot and heavy making out. Are you comfortable with that?”

Ah, the million-dollar question for every new young actress in Hollywood trying desperately to seal her fate. NO. I did NOT want to do that….EVER. I did not want to make out with some total stranger 40 years older than me up against a wall with my legs wrapped around him. I did not want to subject myself to that. But, it’s my big shot, right?! I’m a little nobody and they obviously see something special in me (eye roll) and I don’t want to say no and ruin my shot at what could possibly be a lucrative foot in the door. But, gross – no I am NOT comfortable doing that – it wasn’t in the description of what I signed up for. But, I can’t say no…..

At that very Han Solo swooped in like the goddamned perfect gentleman he is and said very sternly and matter of factly to the assistant director, “No, she doesn’t need to do that. No. It’s not necessary for the scene. NO.” They went back and forth for a few minutes and finally the a.d. gave it up. I was so relieved and grateful that this amazing, powerful, crazy talented and famous Hollywood leading man stepped in and had my back. I was only 18 years old on a set full of very powerful men with very potent abilities to make or break me. I was no body to Harrison Ford, but I felt such protection and advocacy from him. He was a fierce father figure and I felt safe on that set just because he was there. He always had his eye on me and made sure, in his words, “no funny business” was going on. I felt seen and heard by him, and my worth as a human and a woman was not undermined by him – even though I had nothing to offer him, he boldly refused to advocate for a Hollywood norm that was clearly out of control and only getting worse.

Yes, Hollywood is a creepy place where women get chewed up and spit out on the regular, but there are still righteous men out there who are literal protectors of those of us most vulnerable. Men with compassion and honor and integrity. Men that aren’t afraid to call other men on their bluff and men who have a deep and abiding respect for women. I find it interesting that Harrison Ford plays hero type characters, because honestly, who knows what kind of weird scenario I would’ve unwillingly got myself into within those dangerous circumstances – I felt like Indiana Jones rescued me that day, reminding me that there are still great men who possess both talent and class, not only in Hollywood, but within our world at large, and we need to be reminded of their existence.

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