Harrison Ford has been honoured with the lifetime achievement award at the Actor Awards, formerly the Screen Actors Guild Awards. The 83-year-old joked that the accolade was arriving “a little early,” noting that he remains a “working actor” to loud cheers from the audience.
Ford, best known for his roles as Han Solo in Star Wars and Indiana Jones, was presented with the award by Woody Harrelson. In his speech, Ford expressed gratitude and humility, saying, “I'm in a room of actors, many of whom are here because they've been nominated to receive a prize for their amazing work, while I'm here to receive a prize for being alive.”
He reflected on his career, admitting he was not an overnight success. “I struggled for about 15 years going from acting job to carpentry and back to acting, until I finally got a part in a wildly successful film.” He thanked George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, casting director Fred Roos, and his manager Pat McQueeney, who both died, saying, “I would not be here without them.”
Ford recalled discovering acting during his third year of college when he felt “a little lost.” He said, “I found the company of people putting on plays... misfits and geeks turned out to be my people.” He described acting as “the calling of a life in storytelling” and noted the privilege of working in “the world of ideas, of empathy, of imagination.”
Closing his speech, Ford thanked his wife Calista and family, as well as SAG-AFTRA. “Success in this business brings a certain freedom... to keep the door open for the next kid, the next lost boy who is looking for a place to belong,” he said, adding, “I don't take that for granted.”
