Home \ Signature Roles \ American Graffiti (1973) — Harrison Ford
HARRISON FORD · 1973 · SIGNATURE ROLES
Bob Falfa is not the hero of American Graffiti.
Bob Falfa is not the hero of American Graffiti. He is the rival: a drag racer from out of town, in a white cowboy hat and a black 1955 Chevrolet, who challenges the local boys to a race and loses the girl and the night. Harrison Ford plays him with a swagger that is half performance and half insecurity, and the role is a masterclass in making a small part memorable.
Director George Lucas shot the film in twenty-eight nights on a tiny budget, and Ford — then still working as a carpenter between acting jobs — brought a lived-in ease to Falfa that the younger cast learned from. Lucas noticed. Four years later he cast Ford as Han Solo, and the carpenter who played a drag racer became the biggest star in the world.
