Harrison Ford recently looked back at a rather inappropriate fan encounter that has now been etched into his memory.
During a recent roundtable interview with The Hollywood Reporter, alongside Glen Powell, Riz Ahmed, Owen Wilson, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Zach Braff, Ford was asked about the “wildest thing” a fan had said to him.
The Star Wars alum promptly replied to the question, recalling, “‘My mother wants to sleep with you’ — loudly announced in an airport.”
Powell was quick to jump in with a joke, pretending to take the blame as he said, “I didn’t mean it, by the way. It was the first time I was meeting you.”
Ford played along, telling him, “I know. And your mom didn’t mean it, either.”
Speaking of his admirers later in the interview, Ford revealed that he cannot tell the difference between a Shrinking, Indiana Jones and Star Wars fan when they approach him. Responding to his revelation, Ahmed promptly asked, “Do you not find the Star Wars fans are running around with massive Star Wars posters? Because that’s what I find.”
According to Ford, however, “Those are not fans. Those are autograph sellers 100 percent of the time.”
The 83-year-old actor added, “When people come up to me, I’m not trying to figure out what they’re coming for. I just know that they’re likely to be a customer and I’m in a service occupation. We sell stories.”
Ford has previously referred to his fans as customers. Appearing at the Star Wars: The Force Awakens panel at San Diego Comic Con in July 2015, the actor expressed his gratitude for his “customers,” explaining why he often prefers using the term (per BuzzFeed).
“In my mind, I convert fans — and let’s be careful about how we take this word — into customers, because I know full well that those are the people that are supporting my life and supporting the film industry and the kind of movies that I like to make,” Ford said at the time.
Ford further added that he is “very gratified to have them as customers.”
“I grew up working in stores, working in the stationery store, working in the flower shop, working as a waiter, working in various capacities, and I have respect for my customers. So that’s maybe a distinction that’s not immediately apparent to people,” he noted.