When I think of star power, I think of the names and faces of actors and actresses who possess the charm and talent to command lead roles in addition to the cultural impact they have made over the years. I think for someone to be considered an icon, they should be easily recognized, constantly on screen, and actively changing the entertainment world as we know it. People think of Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Angelina Jolie, and George Clooney to name a few, but I think of Harrison Ford.
You walk around and ask a handful of people who "Maverick", "Tyler Durden", and "Danny Ocean" are and I guarantee you half of them won't have a clue what you're talking about.
Mention Han Solo and Indiana Jones, however, and I bet you'll get 99.9% recognition rate.
Harrison Ford got his start in the 1973 classic film American Graffiti, which is where he met George Lucas, the man who reluctantly launched his career. As it goes, Lucas didn't want all of his films to star Ford. In fact, he used him only to read lines for other actors auditioning for Star Wars. It wasn't until Lucas's best friend and fellow director Steven Spielberg convinced him that Ford was perfect for the role of Han Solo that Lucas began to see the potential in Ford.
In fact, they were so moved by his talents that they eventually cast him as the title role for the Indiana Jones films.
It is important to mention that for the longest time, Star Wars was the highest grossing film of all time until Titanic bumped it to second in 1996 and then The Dark Knight bumped it to third in 2008.
He is very versatile, being able to star in sci-fi, horror, drama, crime-drama, comedies, action-adventure, and even "chick flicks". He ad-libbed two of the most famous moments in pop culture -- the first is in Star Wars when Princess Leia says "I love you" and Han Solo responds, "I know."
The second moment is when Indiana Jones shoots a man trying to fight him with a sword in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). Apparently, there was to be a long fight scene and Ford opted out because he was sick.
Lastly, in addition to his commanding presence on screen, Ford is well-mannered and amusing to watch during interviews as well as classy and humble in public. I've been captivated by him and admired him since I first saw Star Wars as a small child -- that film was what helped me discover that I wanted to pursue a career in the film industry.
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