In the Playboy interview, Ford stated categorically that he doesn’t have a hard-and-fast rule when it comes to selecting a role, although he does seem to abide by the above guideline. In his words:
“I don’t have any rules. I just try not to be in films with a point of view with which I’m not sympathetic. I’m not interested in films that have nothing to say. I can’t say I wouldn’t, for instance, play a Nazi war criminal. I would do anything if it made a good point, had significance. I haven’t ruled out musicals, either. Maybe I could be a musical Nazi war criminal … It’s a thought.”
Since 1988, Ford has yet to play a musical Nazi war criminal. Although, at age 80, the actor seems just as active as ever. There is, it seems, still time.
Ford also said in that same interview that he tends to delve into roles that match his own personality in some regard. This might also be why audiences have never seen Ford play a silly, wacky, or whimsical character. At best, he’ll play someone irascible or sarcastic, qualities seen in Han Solo, his notable supporting role in the 1977 film “Star Wars.” He also has a romantic streak, a loner streak, a streak of tenacity. When Ford plays a part, audiences are seemingly being treated to an ever-increasing profile of the man himself. His career is a steady and ongoing form of self-analysis.