Actor Spotlight: Regarding Henry

If you woke up one day and no longer remembered who you were or how you got here; what would you do?  Would you find the reflection in the mirror a comfort, or would that reflection be alien?  How would you feel as you got to know yourself; finding that that the person you were, is not who you believe you truly are?  These are the questions that Harrison Ford faces and overcomes as Henry Turner in 1991’s Regarding Henry.

It is impossible not to root for a guy like Harrison Ford.  His story is something made for a Hollywood film; a carpenter that gets a lucky break and then shows the world that he didn’t need the break to begin with if Hollywood had been paying attention to him from the start.  He is an icon who has given life to characters that transcend the silver screen and have crossed over to our pop culture.  Despite all this, it wasn’t until his portrayal of Henry Turner that I saw the completeness of Harrison Ford’s acting ability.

Until I saw Regarding Henry in 1991, my impression of Harrison Ford was that of an actor that could only pull off the renegade hero.  Henry Turner was a departure from the roles I had come to know, characters such as Han Solo, Indiana Jones and Rick Deckart.  There existed a depth and vulnerability to Henry which Ford delivered that I had never seen before in any of his previous characters.  In both his verbal and non-verbal interactions with his fellow actors and actresses, Ford is able to get the audience to care about a character that at the beginning of the film is for all purposes a lost cause.  Through his delivery and presence he commands the seen and once again you find yourself rooting for the Hollywood underdog.  The man who Hollywood had told, “you will never make it.”

Regarding Henry as a movie is not the best movie you will ever see.  It is most probably a movie that most gloss over when they see the body of work Harrison Ford has done.  What Regarding Henry is, it is a movie that showcases the ability of Harrison Ford to show the world he is an all around great actor.

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