The Ford process

Harrison Ford has played his share of everymen who, when threatened, rise to the occasion and save the day. From heroic ex-CIA agent Jack Ryan ('Patriot Games,' 'Clear and Present Danger') to a resourceful president in 'Air Force One,' Ford makes his job seem so effortless, you wonder how difficult this acting business really is.

In reality, the legendary performer puts a lot of thought, effort and preparation into his work, even when it appears to be familiar territory.

Take, for example, his new film, the suspense thriller 'Firewall.' Ford portrays Jack Stanfield, a bank security specialist who becomes the target of a ring of sophisticated bank robbers. Led by a ruthless ringleader (played by Paul Bettany), the robbers force their way into Stanfield`s home and threaten to kill his family unless he cooperates with their plan to steal $100 million from his bank. Under constant surveillance by his captors, Jack has no choice but to do their bidding. Unable to call for help, he has to rely on his own devices to outsmart the thieves and save his family.

Ford says he was drawn to Joe Forte`s script because he liked the contest between his character and Bettany`s. 'There`s the character that represents good and the character that represents evil, and I like the articulation of that relationship,' explains the 63-year-old performer in his low-key manner.

'I was attracted to (my) character because I thought it was a complicated job to keep the tension real,' he continues. 'That tension had to be articulated in various forms and various degrees in order for the film to work. It was an interesting acting problem for me.'

Ford was so committed to 'Firewall' that he stuck with it even after the first director left following a family tragedy. British filmmaker Richard Loncraine (' Wimbledon') eventually was tapped to helm the movie. 'I was engaged in the process and I didn`t really feel that I could go off and do something else,' Ford explains with a shrug.

A self-described Hollywood outsider, Ford personally telephoned actress Virginia Madsen to encourage her to consider portraying his wife in the movie.

Madsen, who starred in the 2004 hit comedy 'Sideways,' says she was stunned when she got the call from the A-list star. 'I really thought it was a joke,' she says of the answering machine message she got from Ford. 'I thought it was one of my friends playing a joke.'

When she returned the call, she recalls feeling 'like a kid in school' when she discovered it really was Harrison Ford, but she tried to play it cool. She describes her co-star as a real 'man`s man.'

'He reminds me a lot of the men that I grew up around in Chicago,' she says. (Ford is a Chicago native as well.) 'He`s almost like a blue-collar guy. He`s a man of few words. He`s not going to say anything unless he has something to say. And he`s very focused when he`s on the job. I totally get that kind of man and I appreciate it.'

For Bettany, who grew up watching Ford in his signature roles as Indiana Jones and Han Solo, it was a treat just to work alongside the actor. 'He`s almost his own genre: the Harrison Ford thriller,' the blond Brit explains.

The 34-year-old Bettany also made another discovery about his co-star: he is built Ford tough. 'I threw the man through a window and he landed on his head seven times, and each time he got back up and came back in for more,' he recalls.

He says Ford could really take a punch and divulged his secret to preparing for fight sequences. 'It is knowing where to put the padding,' he informed Bettany.

While other men his age are winding down careers and planning retirement, Ford has no desire to slow down. After some 38 feature films, 11 of which have exceeded $100 million at the box office, he still feels challenged and intrigued by his job.

'I have spent my life acquiring some understanding of the process and I get to participate as an actor in filmmaking which is a group activity, and I like working with people on a problem,' he says.

'And because they`re paying me money to do it,' he adds wryly.

Next up is 'Manhunt,' another suspense thriller in which his character goes head to head with an adversary - only this one is set in 1865. Ford plays a reserve cavalryman investigating President Lincoln`s assassination and tracking John Wilkes Booth.

Ford says this era in history has long intrigued him. 'I`ve always been interested in the Civil War period and Abraham Lincoln`s effect on the world,' he says.

Of course, the $100 million question is whether he will reprise his role as Indiana Jones. Ford has repeatedly indicated that he is completely up for a sequel, though he refuses to speculate on the script and where creator George Lucas and director Steven Spielberg are in their process.

With contained exasperation, he refutes published reports that he has given the filmmakers a deadline. 'There is a process,' he explains. 'George develops the material. Steven does his thing with it. Steven and I work together on it. And then we shoot it.'

Ford is even less forthcoming about his personal life. He has been dating actress Calista Flockhart ('Ally McBeal') for several years but refuses to comment on whether they plan to marry. (The twice-divorced Ford has four children and lives on a ranch in Wyoming.)

Asked how he handles the inevitable questions about his personal life, Ford puts up his own firewall. 'I`ve never had a problem not answering questions I didn`t think were appropriate,' he says, smiling.

- By Angela Dawson