Golden Globe winner Lily Gladstone recently shared her connection with the Star Wars saga and veteran actor Harrison Ford in an episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
When Fallon asked Gladstone about meeting Ford at the Golden Globes, the actress revealed that this encounter gave her a chance to discuss with Ford what sparked her interest in acting:
“I mean, he wasn’t at our table, but, you know, we lapped each other, so I was sometimes closer to Harrison than I was to Leo. But it was incredible because, I mean, this whole acting journey or aspiration of mine started because I loved the Ewoks so much. And so I got to tell him the whole reason.”
To her delight, Ford, who portrayed Han Solo in the Star Wars series, responded with humor and warmth:
“I realize now that when I was younger, I knew they weren’t really real, but my parents said, ‘Oh, they’re actors.’ You know, you’re upset when your favorite characters get shot. So I was like, ‘Okay, if I want to be an Ewok, I have to be an actor, so…’ [Laughter] I told him that ‘Return of the Jedi’ was the reason that I wanted to act. And he said, ‘Oh, yeah, me too.'”
You can watch the episode below:
Gladstone Talked About Ewoks’ Influence Previously
Introduced in 1983, Ewoks are seen as symbols of simplicity and natural wisdom, living in harmony with their forest moon environment of Endor. They have since appeared in various Star Wars media, including television films and the animated series. As it turns out, they also inspired future stars like Lily Gladstone.
In her previous interviews in 2020 and 2019, Gladstone again cited the small, furry creatures as the ones making her want to pursue an acting career.
Gladstone’s early acting aspirations trace back to the Missoula Children’s Theatre in East Glacier. It was there, cast as one of the evil stepsisters in ‘Cinderella,’ that she took her first steps in acting. Now, the actress has made history as the first Indigenous woman to receive a Golden Globe nomination and win an acting category for her performance in ‘Killers of the Flower Moon.’
Meanwhile, Ford steps into the MCU, replacing William Hurt as Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross in the upcoming films ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ and ‘Thunderbolts.’
