In Honor of Harrison Ford's 80th Birthday, Here Are His Crabbiest Moments

Harrison Ford celebrates his 80th birthday this week, and somehow he's busier than he’s ever been.

The Hollywood statesman was already pretty well up in years to be playing the iconic whip-happy archeologist back in 2008’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, but next year he’ll be back in front of audiences for a currently untitled fifth installment in the series. On top of that, Ford recently signed on to star in the comedy series Shrinking with Jason Segal, as well as the Yellowstone prequel show 1923 alongside Helen Mirren.

Look, we can’t imagine he needs the money. The residual checks from the original Star Wars films alone are probably enough to pay for multiple grandchildren to go through college. Ford is, of course, best known for his Star Wars and Indiana Jones roles, but that’s hardly the full extent of his career. Between two Blade Runner movies, two appearances as Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, an Oscar-nominated role in the 1985 crime drama Witness, and a number of other classic roles such as Dr. Richard Kimble in The Fugitive, Ford is the type of guy who’s well aware of his own legacy. Not that he really cares. He seemed largely unimpressed with his own work when he looked back at his filmography in a recent Vanity Fair video.

Perhaps the signature grumpiness that Ford generally brings to his roles isn’t all acting. He is known as a rather reclusive Hollywood star. Conan O’Brien and Andy Richter picked up on Ford’s angry pointing with a montage of his best pointing moments during a promotional appearance, and Ford seemed to be amused by his own fiery temper. Let’s forgive the guy: he’s an 80-year-old working man, and he probably doesn’t want to sign any more action figures at this point in his life. We looked back at some of Ford’s angriest moments.

Ford’s First Reaction to the Original Star Wars Script
It’s one of the most famous stories in film history. Harrison Ford had given up his acting career to pursue carpentry full-time, but his old pal George Lucas asked for his help during the audition process for the original Star Wars. Ford had recently appeared in Lucas’ American Graffiti. Of course, Ford nailed the role and subsequently took the part of Han Solo for himself. However, at first glance, Ford believed that Lucas’ dialogue left something to be desired. He famously told him, “You can type this shit, but you can’t say it.”

Ford’s Cameo In Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues
Forget about Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Blade Runner and Jack Ryan for a moment, because Ford actually joined another major film franchise. Cameos are a dime a dozen in the two Anchorman films, but Ford has a particularly amusing appearance at the beginning of the 2013 sequel as Mack Tannen, a legendary New York news anchor who takes Will Ferrell’s Ron Burgundy to task. While Tannen is seemingly impressed by Burgundy’s wife, Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate), he refers to Burgundy as “the worst anchorman he’s ever seen.”

Ford Having To Promote His Cameo in Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues
Perhaps he was still in method acting mode, but Ford didn’t seem particularly pleased to be promoting his appearance in the Anchorman sequel. During an appearance on Conan, Ford admitted that he hadn’t seen the first film. He was aware that it was “a comedy,” but said that he didn’t know “what kind of comedy.” He also referred to Will Ferrell as “insane.”

The Infamous Blade Runner Voiceover Edit
Blade Runner is one of the best films of Ford’s career, but it seems like everyone who worked on the film was absolutely miserable during the entire production. After a test screening in which audiences cited the film as “too dark” and “confusing,” Warner Bros. decided to re-edit it to include a voiceover narration by Ford’s character Rick Deckard. Ford famously hated the voiceover idea and felt that it would cheapen the experience and rob the film of its ambiguous nature.

Contracts are binding, so Ford had to record a voiceover. His lack of enthusiasm is apparent; the actor’s dull, monotone delivery of the expository lines suggest that he was intentionally trying to throw off the production.

Ford did not feel any “morning glory” in Morning Glory
Before he started returning to his legacy characters in belated sequels Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Blade Runner 2049, Ford joined some truly baffling projects. Among them was the 2010 romantic comedy Morning Glory, which starred Rachel McAdams as a young, ambitious daytime news producer. Ford co-stars as the veteran grumpy news anchor. We’d say it's an underrated performance, but we’re not sure how much acting Ford actually had to do.

Ford Discusses The Star Wars Holiday Special
Ah, The Star Wars Holiday Special. Following the unprecedented success of the Star Wars box office run in 1977, ABC approved a “variety special” set in the Star Wars universe. Aired only once and never reissued in any legal format, The Star Wars Holiday Special is regarded as one of the biggest television disasters in broadcast history. The incomprehensible sketch show features guest stars such as Bea Arthur, Art Carney, Jefferson Starship and Harvey Korman alongside the cast of the original Star Wars film.

If you ever manage to get your hands on a pirated copy, you’ll see that Ford is clearly phoning in his performance in the special (not that we can blame him). However, this is a chapter of his career that he’s most keen to forget. During a staged bit much later with Conan O’Brien, Ford throws a tantrum and flips out when asked about his involvement in the special. At least, we think it was staged.

Ford Has No Patience For Donald Trump
If there’s anything we know about Ford, it’s that he doesn’t have time to deal with idiocy. As you might expect, Ford wasn’t exactly a fan of our former prez. Trump had cited Ford’s performance as the U.S. president in the action movie Air Force One as an inspiration, but Ford wasn’t having it. “Donald, it’s just a movie,” Ford said. “It’s not like that in real life. But how would you know?”

If that didn’t make things clear enough, Ford didn’t mask his opinion during the most recent election. He cursed out Trump again during an interview with Jimmy Kimmel, but despite the comedic nature of the exchange, Ford got reflective toward the end and spoke about the importance of listening to scientists, so that people can tell the difference between “real information and total bullshit.” He may be grumpy, but Ford is still our hero.