PREVIOUSSPREAD, FROMLEFT:MLBPHOTOSVIAGETTY IMAGES; TIMOTHYWHITE/TRUNKARCHIVE
asheleansforwardinachairinaconference
roomathisSantaMonica,Calif.,o ce.“AsI
started todoresearchandbecamemore in-
volved intheprocess, Icouldseeanendless
reservoirofcharacteristicsandpersonality
thatwasallanactorcouldaskfor.Itwas like
stumbling intoagoldmine.”
In director BrianHelgeland, however,
Ford encountered disinterest. Helgeland
wouldnot even talk toFordon thephone
becausehedidnotwant to falsely encour-
ageFord.
“Nothing against him,” saysHelgeland,
whowonanOscarforwritingthescreenplay
for
L.A.Confidential
in1997.“He’sobviously
a strong actor and amovie star and some-
onethatmoviefansinthecountryarereally
fondof, but Ididn’t seehow itcouldwork. I
didn’tseehimplayingacharacter.”
The problem, inHelgeland’s view, was
simple:ThemanwhoplayedIndianaJones,
Dr. RichardKimble, President JamesMar-
shall, JackRyan andHanSolowas
too
big
astar.
“IknewIwasgoingtogetanunknownto
playJackieRobinson, so I could sell to the
audiencethattheywerereallyseeingJackie
Robinson,”Helgeland says. “I reallyhadn’t
thought about anyone toplayRickey, but I
wanted toget a low-profilecharacter actor.
deploredracialprejudice,butalsopractical
because the better his baseball team, the
moremoneyhemade.
“Ethnicprejudicehasnoplace in sports,”
Rickey once lectured, “andbaseballmust
recognize that truth if it is tomaintainstat-
ureasanationalgame.”
ButanotherfamousRickeyquoteis:“The
greatestuntappedreservoirofrawmaterial
inthehistoryofourgame istheblackrace.”
Filmingofthemovieended longago,but
Fordremainspassionateabouttherole.
“IreadaversionofthescriptandIbecame
very intriguedby thecharacter,”Ford says
rights in this country, not only because
it wasmorally proper but also because it
was goodbusiness. Rickeywas thegeneral
manager of theBrooklynDodgers and the
manwhodesegregatedbaseball by signing
26-year-oldJackieRobinson in1945toplay
for theMontrealRoyals, theorganization’s
top farm team.Afterspending the1946sea-
sonwithMontreal,Robinsonwaspromoted
to themajor leagues in 1947. Their story is
told inthefilm
42
,whichdebuts intheaters
thismonth.
InRickey,Fordsawamanwithcomplex
motivations—honorable becauseRickey
W
HILEDESCRIBING
theuncommonexperienceofbeing
rejectedforarolehecoveted,HarrisonFordisamused
andunderstated.Heprovides thedetailscalmly,with-
outdisdainorcondescension for thedirectorwho ini-
tiallyrefusedtoeventalktohim.Thestoryhasasuccessfulendingwith
Fordgettingexactlywhat hewanted, but the strikingpart aboutFord
telling it isthenoticeableabsenceofentitlement.Here isamanwhohas
generatedanestimated$6billion inmovie-ticket salesworldwideand
isoneofthemostsuccessfulactorsinfilmhistory.Butheisstillnoteven
slightlyoendedbyahesitantdirector.
ThecharacterFord found socompelling isBranchRickey, amanof
surpassing intelligencewhoplayeda significant role inadvancingcivil
44
APRIL 01, 2013
AA.COM/AMERICANWAY
