8 minutes with the guy who made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs

It was the summer of 2015, and I was working as the Video Editor at HuffPost Australia, producing videos on everything from Syrian refugees to breakdancing animals. With the highly anticipated release of The Force Awakens, Star Wars fever was at an all-time high. That's when I received a call from a Disney publicist, asking me if I wanted to conduct an in-person, filmed interview with none other than Harrison Ford about the movie.

Like many people my age, the original Star Wars trilogy was a massive part of my childhood. Its impact on myself, my friends, and millions of kids like us cannot be overstated. To us, Han Solo was the coolest guy in the galaxy. And he still is.

So I answered the publicist's incredibly easy question in the affirmative. However, I had never been filmed conducting a celebrity interview before. Sure, I interviewed people all the time, but never in a polished or professional way. I'm never on camera. Nevertheless, I had edited countless junket-style celebrity interviews, so I knew I could simply edit myself out. But that wasn't the point. I was going to meet Han Solo.

Fast forward a few days, and I had meticulously prepared all my questions, all adhering to Disney's strict conditions. I had eight minutes, and I was not to ask anything beyond Harrison Ford's involvement with the film. Eight minutes of talking to Harrison Ford solely about Star Wars? Ahh, yep!

The interview took place at the Park Hyatt in Circular Quay, the same venue where thousands of A-list celebrity interviews have occurred. It had the best view in Sydney, and it was just a short walk from my office. In the waiting room with me were every recognisable Entertainment TV reporter in town. They filed in one by one, carrying lists of likely the same questions. Then it was my turn.

As I stepped into the room, I prepared for the worst. I imagined Harrison Ford, the Hollywood icon, rolling his eyes upon seeing me and letting out a deep, meditative sigh as he resigned himself to another interview about Star Wars. But much to my surprise, I was met with a friendly and welcoming man. He extended his hand for a handshake and greeted me with a warm grin that seemed to say, "I just made $15 million for 25 minutes and 15 seconds of screen time in a movie."

I took my seat and locked eyes with the guy who made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs.

The rest of the story is in this video.

[bolle]

I didn't know yet, thanks for uploading.

[jamesgraham]

Little did we know what a shit show, Kennedy, Disney and Star Wars in general would turn out to be.