Film Star Harrison Ford Graces the July/August Cover of AARP The Magazine and Speaks Candidly on His Unconventional Family, Box Office Ups and Downs, and Reinventing Himself One Flight at a Time

WASHINGTON, May 24, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Box office superstar Harrison Ford, who often shies away from being in the spotlight, offers an honest and refreshing take on his career, relationships, and reinvention in the July/August issue of AARP The Magazine.  The 68-year old actor looks appealingly rugged and fit as he opens up about his continued love for acting, passing the "leading man" baton, his ups and downs in fatherhood and at the box office, and discovering a love for flying that has tapped into the same sense of adventure his fans have loved throughout his long career. Says broadcast journalist and old friend, Tom Brokaw, "He's authentic.  The same kind of guy you see on screen.  I get in trouble when I use this expression, but Harrison is a man's man."

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The following are excerpts from the upcoming AARP The Magazine cover story featuring Harrison Ford, available in homes and online NOW at www.aarp.org/magazine.

On his third marriage to actress Calista Flockhart:
"We'd lived together for 10 years and it seemed like we were going to get along. And I love her and she wanted to get married, and I wanted to get married."

On his ever growing love of filmmaking:
"I love acting probably more than I did before."

"I like working and problem-solving with people on a story."

On box office successes and failures:
"I just want to make good movies that people want to go see. I hate making movies that people don't go to."

On leading man Daniel Craig in their upcoming film Cowboys & Aliens:
"I give enormous credit to Daniel. He gave me the room in his movie to make a part that was probably as much fun to play as any I've ever had."

"The leading man has a special responsibility to carry the audience. I can just dodge in, and that's wonderful."

On reinvention and new passions:
"Flying absolutely reinvented my life."

"I wanted to see whether I could learn something new."

"I'm not cut any slack for any other reason. I'm just another pilot. I love it."

"When I'm flying, I've got to do it according to the rules, just like everybody else."

On how his parenting getting better with age:
"I had my first children when I was 24. Babies raising babies is maybe not the prettiest thing in the world to watch."

"I've learned a lot about being an appropriate father over the years."

Friends on Ford:
"He's authentic. The same kind of guy you see on-screen. I get into trouble when I use this expression, but Harrison is a man's man." – Friend and broadcast journalist, Tom Brokaw

"Harrison was in better shape than any of us. He's ripped." – Cowboys and Aliens actress, Olivia Wilde

"Harrison is like John Wayne in the autumn of his career. In movies like The Searchers and True Grit, Wayne was always giving a younger man a run for his money." – Cowboys and Aliens director, Jon Favreau

An image of the July/August cover of AARP The Magazine featuring Harrison Ford is available upon request. Exclusive photographs from the photo shoot are available at www.aarp.org/magazine.

About AARP The Magazine
With nearly 35 million readers nationwide, AARP The Magazine (www.aarpmagazine.org) is the world's largest circulation magazine and the definitive lifestyle publication for Americans 50+. Reaching over 22 million households, AARP The Magazine delivers comprehensive content through in-depth celebrity interviews, health and fitness features, consumer interest information and tips, book and movie reviews and financial guidance. Published bimonthly in print and continually online, AARP The Magazine was founded in 1958 and is the flagship title of AARP Publications.

About AARP
AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization with a membership that helps people 50+ have independence, choice and control in ways that are beneficial and affordable to them and society as a whole. AARP does not endorse candidates for public office or make contributions to either political campaigns or candidates. We produce AARP The Magazine, the definitive voice for 50+ Americans and the world's largest-circulation magazine with nearly 35 million readers; AARP Bulletin, the go-to news source for AARP's millions of members and Americans 50+; AARP VIVA, the only bilingual U.S. publication dedicated exclusively to the 50+ Hispanic community; and our website, AARP.org. AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity that provides security, protection, and empowerment to older persons in need with support from thousands of volunteers, donors, and sponsors. We have staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

SOURCE AARP