Harrison Ford received a standing ovation Sunday as he accepted the SAG-AFTRA Life Achievement Award.
“It's a little early, isn't it?” Ford joked, noting that “it's a little strange to receive a lifetime achievement award in the middle of my career.”
The 83-year-old is one of the industry's highest-grossing actors after catapulting to global stardom with his role as Han Solo in the “Star Wars” franchise, a legacy further cemented by the “Indiana Jones” movies.
Ford fought back tears and thanked his fellow actors, writers and directors. “He found a calling. A life in storytelling. An identity in pretending to be other people,” he said.
“While we are all at different stages of our lives and careers in this room, we all share something fundamental. We share the privilege of working in the world of ideas, empathy or imagination,” Ford said. “Thanks to that privilege, I have come to know myself.”
Ford said he “wasn't an overnight success” as he spent the first 15 years of his career jumping between acting and carpentry before landing an acting role.
Ford thanked film producer and casting director Fred Roos and his former manager, Pat McQueeney, who he said were instrumental in his success.
“They're not with us anymore, but it's important that I think about them now. I feel them here tonight. They would be happy for me,” Ford said.
Sunday's SAG-AFTRA recognition is one of several lifetime achievement awards given to the actor throughout his extensive six-decade career, defined by two of Hollywood's biggest film franchises.
A highlight video of Ford's various performances was played before accepting the award.
The award was presented by actor Woody Harrelson, who praised Ford's various achievements and called him a “timeless American treasure.”
“There's too much of me in this tribute to Harrison, but I'm an actor, what do you expect?” Harrelson joked. The actor first met Ford after following him to a sushi restaurant and the pair “sealed their friendship” over lunch, during which “at one point, we laughed, and I'm not kidding, for three minutes straight,” Harrelson said.
“This is a lifetime achievement award and he has lived a full life,” Harrelson added.
Ford has shown no signs of slowing down in recent years. The actor plays therapist Paul Rhoades on the Apple TV show “Contraction,” what it was worth his first Emmy nomination last year. He also recently starred in the “Yellowstone” prequel, “1923,” and appeared in his first Marvel film. “Captain America: Brave New World.”
Ford “believes that working harder is the antidote to aging,” Harrelson said. The actor recently reprized his iconic role as the swashbuckling archaeologist in the 2023 sequel. “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny”.
Despite Ford's enormous success in the industry, the actor has yet to win a major competitive acting award. The Life Achievement Award is the first Ford has earned from the guild. He was nominated last year for actor in a comedy series for his role in “Shrinking,” but lost to Martin Short for his performance in “Only Murders in the Building.”
Ford said he was “very honored” to be honored with the award in a room full of actors, “many of whom are here because they have been nominated to receive an award for their incredible work, while I am here to receive an award for being alive.”
“Sometimes we make entertainment. Sometimes we make art. Sometimes we get lucky and do both at the same time,” Ford said.
The awards show's highest honor is given to performers who advance the “best ideals of the acting profession.” Ford joins the list of experienced actors who have received the award, including Jane Fonda, Barbara StreisandMorgan Freeman and Robert De Niro.
SAG-AFTRA described Ford as “one of cinema's most enduring leading men” whose performances “have been woven into the fabric of our culture,” in a December statement announcing the honor.
