Harrison Ford always makes a big entrance. He once walked on stage at Comic-Con in handcuffs. He opened one Tonight Show appearance by socking Jay Leno in the chin. His Blade Runner 2049 costar said Ford makes just as big an entrance in real life.
“He arrived in a very cinematic way,” Ryan Gosling said at the film’s Los Angeles press conference. “We heard Harrison had landed. We heard Harrison was coming to set. We heard Harrison had arrived. It was very darkly lit. You could only distinguish people by their silhouette. Suddenly this very distinctive silhouette appears.”
Ford reprises the role of blade runner Rick Deckard, a replicant hunter in the future. Gosling plays K, a new agent seeking his predecessor. Gosling was intimidated about stepping into Ford’s shoes.
“He steps into the light and he looks at me like I was an eight-year-old kid who just broke his window,” Gosling said. “And immediately put us at ease because he’s the best collaborator you could ever ask for and brings with him the experience and the intent of making something great. We all felt that and felt like we could really begin to do that.”
The original Blade Runner left some ambiguity about Ford’s character. The actor welcomed the opportunity to stoke Deckard’s legend.
“I was looking for an opportunity to extend the audience’s understanding of the character,” Ford said. “To be part of the telling of the story, the whole had to be something I really wanted to be involved in as well, not just my part. I saw that potential and I also was anxious to work with the people involved, with [director] Denis [Villeneuve], with Ryan. For me it was a great opportunity.”
Blade Runner 2049 opens in theaters Friday, October 6. Look for more Blade Runner 2049 coverage on Monsters and Critics including exclusives with the producers and screenwriter.