Before Harrison Ford was one of the biggest names in the history of Hollywood, the actor received a career prediction, which did not turn out to be true at all.
The actor recalled in a recent podcast appearance that when he first did a tiny role in the 1966 film Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round, Columbia Pictures executive Jerry Tokofsky predicted that he would never make it in Hollywood. This did not age well.
Harrison Ford details reaction after being told he’ll never ‘make it’ in Hollywood
In a recent discussion on the Wednesday, May 13, episode of the Where Everybody Knows Your Name podcast hosted by Ted Danson, Harrison Ford reflected on the career prediction he got from Columbia Pictures executive Jerry Tokofsky.
This was after Ford acted in a tiny role in the 1966 film Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round. His role included delivering a telegram while dressed as a bellboy. This performance did not impress Tokofsky. “Boy,” Harrison Ford recalled Tokofsky saying, “You’re never going to make it in this business.”
The executive went on to compare Ford to Tony Curtis, saying that movie stars were recognizable instantly on screen. Ford further recalled what Tokofsky said, “I’m going to tell you a story…The first time Tony Curtis ever walked on a stage, he delivered a bag of groceries. You took one look at that guy, and you said, ‘That’s a movie star.’”
But this did not intimidate Ford. “And I leaned across the desk and said, ‘I thought you were supposed to think it was a grocery delivery boy,’” he recalled.
The interaction only worsened from there on. Tokofsky eventually asked Ford to “get the f**k out of here.” The tension between the pair lasted for nearly a year.
Harrison Ford has since turned out to be one of the greatest actors in Hollywood, with some of the most memorable roles ever, including the likes of Indiana Jones and Han Solo.
