longer.blue

Harrison Ford: "In my third year of college, I was a little lost. I was failing at school. I felt isolated, alone. And then I found the company of people putting on plays, storytellers, people I once thought were misfits and geeks, turned out to be my people. I found a calling, a life in storytelling, an identity in pretending to be other people. "The work I do with other actors is one of the great joys of my life. My career is built on their work, as well as the work of writers, directors, and every single cast member, every crew member I've ever been on the set with. I've had incredible collaborators at every step of the way. And being able to deliver the work we create together to an audience is an honor and a privilege. And because of that privilege, I've come to know myself. "Ours is a tough business to get into. In my case, it's been a tough business to get out of, thank God, because I love what I do. As actors, we get to live many lives. We get to explore ideas that affirm and elevate our shared experience. The stories we tell have a unique capacity to create moments of emotional connection. They bring us together. "So while we're all at different stages of our lives and careers in this room, we all share something fundamental. We share the privilege of working in the world of ideas, of empathy, of imagination. Sometimes we make entertainment. Sometimes we make art. Sometimes we're lucky we make them both at the same time. And if we're really fortunate, we also get to make a living doing it. "Success in this business brings a certain freedom that comes with responsibility, to support each other, to lift others up when we can, to keep the door open for the next kid, the next lost boy who's looking for a place to belong. I'm indeed a lucky guy, lucky to have found my people, lucky to have work that challenges me, lucky to still be doing it. And I don't take that for granted."