Filming of the latest Star Wars film continued without Harrison Ford on Friday as his wife, Calista Flockhart, flew to be by his side in hospital after he was crushed by a door on set.
Ford, the 71-year-old actor, was being treated for a broken ankle after the accident on the set of Star Wars: Episode VII at Pinewood studios in Iver Heath, Bucks. He was airlifted to John Radcliffe hospital in Oxford for tests, including X-rays, after he was seen clutching his chest in pain on the set. The full extent of his injuries were still unclear on Friday night, prompting speculation he may be unavailable for filming for several weeks. The Health and Safety Executive is now investigating how the accident happened and inspecting the set before assessing whether there has been any breach of legislation.
Ford is believed to have been hit by the door of the Millennium Falcon — the spacecraft commanded by his character Hans Solo. A spokesman on Friday could not confirm whether he would be remaining in the hospital. A spokesman for Flockhart, an actress who is best known for starring in the sitcom Ally McBeal, said she had always been planning to travel to the UK to visit Ford, and was now “en route”. The fact that Ford was airlifted for what appears to be a relatively minor injury prompted speculation about the true extent of the damage he sustained. Spokesmen for Ford, the film studios, and the production company were all unavailable for comment. The grandfather-of-three is said to be in good spirits. He is now likely to need weeks to recuperate, with shooting going ahead without him in the meantime. In the film, Ford is joined by original Star Wars cast mates Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Peter Mayhew.
Speaking at the Hay Festival earlier this month, Fisher joked that the cast were now looking somewhat older, saying: “We all look a little melted. It’s good to see other melted people.”
The veteran stars will be joined by Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o, John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, and Max von Sydow. The accident occurred just a month after Ford appeared at the Cannes Film Festival to promote The Expendables 3. In a press conference, he and co-stars Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Mel Gibson insisted they did not need to take extra precautions because of their age. Stallone, who called Ford and his colleagues “playful children with arthritis”, said injuries were unavoidable on set at any age, but added they were no cause for concern. Speaking of his generation of action stars, he added they were used to doing all their own stunts, saying: “That’s kind of what we take pride in actually, keeping taking the bumps and bruises.”
Speaking last year, Ford argued there was no barrier to being old and an action hero.
It is the latest in a line of injuries the star has sustained on the set of his action films, including a torn knee ligament on the set of Raiders of the Lost Ark after being run over. In 1983, during the filming of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom in London, he was left out of action for six weeks with a herniated disc in his back.
