Harrison Ford has Kevin Costner to thank for his iconic role in 'Air Force One'
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Do you think there is a connection between Hollywood’s two leading men, Harrison Ford and Kevin Costner, that most people don't know about? Apart from playing the member of the same Dutton family in ‘Yellowstone’ and its prequel, ‘1923’ there appears to be very little in common between the stars who have excelled in drama and actions films. While Costner was debuting in 1981 as an up and coming actor, Ford was establishing himself as Hollywood’s favorite leading man in the first installment of 'Indiana Jones’. Since then the two stars have carved separate paths for themselves. But do you know, there was a time when the duo’s paths briefly converged in 1997?
Harrison Ford received immense popularity for playing President James Marshall in the 1997 film ‘Air Force One’ that solidified his status as an already established action hero of Hollywood. But this role was originally offered to the actor now famous for playing ‘Yellowstone’s’ patriarch, Kevin Costner.
'I like him a lot more now because he really threw a winner my way'
Just before the film was released in 1997, Ford shared in an interview with the Los Angeles Times, that he got the role after Costner asked the makers to offer Ford the role instead. He told the news portal, "This was a script that Kevin Costner originally had and he gave it to me.” However, Ford revealed that Costner’s reason for not accepting the offer was conflict in schedule. He said, “Kevin knew this was a big commercial movie and his schedule didn't allow him to do it. And he told [the producers] he would let it go only if I could do it.”
He continued, “Now Kevin and I are not intimates. I've met him on a number of occasions and I like him very much. And I like him a lot more now because he really threw a winner my way." It is interesting to note here that while ‘Air Force One’ did indeed prove to be one of Ford's most memorable non-franchise hits, Costner was struggling with two box office flops — ‘Waterworld’ and ‘The Postman’. One might even wonder what would the career graph of the Academy award winning maker of ‘Dances with Wolves’ have been had he chosen to accept the offer?
‘Yellowstone’ connection
Despite having two very different career graphs, the two actors again find themselves attached to the same series. While Kevin Costner famously played the John Dutton in ‘Yellowstone’ for five seasons, and has been famously involved in a back-and-forth with the show’s maker Taylor Sheridan, Harrison Ford is awaiting the release of his new ‘Indiana Jones’ film on June 30 and has starred in the 'Yellowstone' prequel '1923' .
Entertainment Tonight reported in the beginning of May that Costner would not be returning as the show’s protagonist after the fifth season. However, there is a chance of him appearing on the second part of the fifth season which is yet to be filmed.
Ford played an ancestor of John Dutton in the eight-episode limited prequel series ‘1923’ that premiered in December 2022. In the series, Ford played the character of Jacob Dutton, whose great-great nephew is James, who is again the great-great grandfather of John Dutton III, played by Costner.