Harrison Ford revealed in a new profile of legendary composer John Williams that his music has been a near-constant presence in his life.
The 81-year-old actor shared that Williams’ theme for Steven Spielberg’s iconic Indiana Jones films – which he starred in – was even playing when he was having a colonoscopy.
“As I often remind John, his music follows me everywhere I go – literally,” he joked in a profile of the 92-year-old composer for the cover of Variety. “When I had my last colonoscopy, they were playing it over the speakers in the operating room.”
Williams, who previously admitted he had never seen any of the Star Wars films despite scoring them, received his 54th Academy Award nomination this year for his score for Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny, making him the most nominated living person is. as well as the most nominated non-producer.
Ford’s praise betrayed a strong admiration for Williams and his work, as the movie star is better known for his hilariously cranky public appearances in recent years.
Harrison Ford, 81, revealed in a Variety cover profile of composer John Williams that he hears his music everywhere — including on the “operating room speakers” when he had a colonoscopy; seen in June in London
Williams, 92, is nominated for his 54th Oscar this year for Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny, making him the most nominated living person and non-producer
In addition to creating the instantly recognizable musical elements for Star Wars and the Indiana Jones series, Williams has scored numerous other films for his longtime friend and collaborator Steven Spielberg, including the Jurassic Park films, Schindler’s List, Close Encounters Of The Third Kind, Jaws, Saving Private Ryan, Munich, ET: The Extra Terrestrial, Lincoln and most recently The Fabelmans, as well as numerous other films.
His work outside of his extraordinary collaboration with Spielberg has led to scores for Fiddler On The Roof, which won him one of his five Best Score Oscars, as well as Oliver Stone’s JFK, the first three Harry Potter films, the first two Home Alone films, Superman and much more.
Elsewhere in the profile on Williams, Ford admitted that he enjoys his music so much that he sometimes drops by his recording sessions.
“It’s a joy to watch him work with the orchestra – just the pleasure of being able to sit in a room and process the remarkable attention that each beat of the music receives,” he continued. “And their respect for him and his respect for them is just so fun to watch.”
Although Williams has slowed his pace and scaled back his work on some franchises, including Star Wars, he still works regularly and remains Spielberg’s most trusted collaborator to this day.
In addition to scoring Ford’s work with Spielberg in the Indiana Jones films, Williams also created the music for his 1995 romantic comedy Sabrina, a remake of Billy Wilder’s 1954 original.
While the actor is best known for his prolific film work, including a slew of classics, Ford has recently branched out into television as well.
He currently stars in the Yellowstone prequel series 1923, which takes place about a century before the events of the flagship series.
Ford leads the soapy Western drama with his former co-star Helen Mirren. The two starred together in Peter Weir’s 1986 film The Mosquito Coast.
The film was a box office bomb and received only modest reviews, although it was subsequently re-rated as one of Ford, Mirren and Weir’s best films.
Ford revealed that it was the iconic Indiana Jones theme that doctors played while he was having the intimate medical procedure performed; depicted in Indiana Jones and the Temple Of Doom
Williams has scored countless blockbusters for Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and other A-list filmmakers, and his music is among the most recognizable of all film scores; seen in 2016
Ford has turned to television in his ninth decade. He currently stars in the Yellowstone prequel 1923 and the Apple TV+ drama Shrinking; still from 1923
Harrison is also turning to lighter material with his Apple TV+ series Shrinking.
He co-stars with Jason Segel and Jessica Williams as a therapist struggling with newly diagnosed Parkinson’s disease who must guide his co-stars as he tries to save his relationship with his daughter.
Fans of Ford and Williams can watch on Sunday, March 10, to see if the composer wins an Oscar for their fifth and final Indiana Jones film.
The ceremony will air at 7:00 PM ET/4:00 PM PT on ABC, as well as on streaming services such as Hulu Live TV, YouTubeTV, AT&T TV and FuboTV.