It’s one of those lightning-in-a-bottle moments so bizarre that it’s unlikely ever to happen again: Harrison Ford managed to shame a movie into existence, despite having absolutely nothing to do with it.
At the time, he had no clue that he was instrumental in green-lighting a film that would make major critical and commercial waves, leaving a lasting impact on culture and society that extended well beyond its run in cinemas, and now takes its place as a beloved classic of modern British cinema.
That’s an impressive impact to have while doing fuck all in the grand scheme of things, but it just goes to show the power that Ford wields over the industry, whether he’s actively involved or, as he was in this case, completely hands-off. Still, when he found out, he took it in his deadpan stride.
When you think of Gurinder Chadha’s 2002 favourite, Bend It Like Beckham, the iconic Star Wars and Indiana Jones star won’t be the first thing that comes to mind. However, the filmmaker name-dropped him to put a point across, and it was one that was taken on board by the people who were so resistant to getting it in front of the cameras in the first place.
“I had been struggling to make this film, because I really believed the world was changing at this point and I believed that my cultural paradigm was relevant and I was fresh and new to British filmmakers,” she recalled. “I’d written a script with my husband Paul [Mayeda Berges], and it was very international and a very human story, and I just didn’t understand why the gatekeepers were passing on it.”
On paper, and in cinematic terms, Bend It Like Beckham had limited appeal. In practice, though, not only was it a key moment for British Asian representation on the big screen, but its explorations of gender, sexuality, religion, family, and more captivated audiences, and it’s not ridiculous to suggest that it played a part in the explosion of popularity in women’s football in the UK in recent years.
Hindsight is always 20/20 for a reason, though, and when Chadha was preparing for her latest inevitable rejection from the UK Film Council, she reached out to John Woodward, who was preparing to take over as CEO, to rage against how she’d been repeatedly told that her film “will never get made because you will never be able to find an Indian girl who can bend it like Beckham.”
“That was the main reason they rejected the film,” she explained, leading to her issuing a game-changing response: “Do you think Harrison Ford jumps out of helicopters?” For whatever reason, that changed Woodward’s mind, and he pledged the first £1 million of the picture’s £5 million budget, and the first domino had been toppled.
To put the cherry on top of the cake, when Chadha met the Hollywood legend for the first time in 2023, she told him the story, and his reaction was classic Ford: “Well, I’m so glad I was able to help you with your career,” he said. “And, by the way, I do fucking jump out of helicopters.”
