HARRISON FORD

The Hump

Santa Monica, CA

September 26, 2002

Photo credit: Harrison Ford

Sushi is not for me, but because this was a first-class restaurant at the Santa Monica airport I gave it another chance. My friend and I had finished eating and were getting ready to leave when an A-list celebrity couple walked in and sat down near the front door at the sushi bar. I had my back to them but the girl at the table next to me got very excited and said, “I see celebrities everywhere I go. I should really just do it.” I’m not sure what she had in mind, but that timid talk caught my attention and I was going to go do it.

My friend could see that it was Calista Flockhart and Harrison Ford. On this property, celebrities get noticed, but the pilots are the big-shots and he is both. We were going to have to formulate an elegant introduction for these two.

With intense eye contact and the lift of a finger, we summoned the waiter. We asked if he would please present Mr. Ford with another glass of whatever it was he was drinking, hoping he would accept this in exchange for a few minutes of his time. The stuffy waiter looked down his nose at us, said no, and walked away. Minutes later, the sushi chef came to our table to explain the complexities of interacting with celebrities. That was cute. We listened politely then went back to planning our moves.

.

As the saying goes, if you want something done right you have to do it yourself. So, we ordered whatever it was Mr. Ford was drinking and decided we’d carry it over. Trying to discourage us, the waiter felt the need to tell us that this incredibly expensive sake is extremely hard to find. That’s fine. We were willing to pay and from our perspective, it was pretty easy to find. He reluctantly brought us the glass.

My friend, a fellow pilot, carried the drink and broke the ice. He approached Harrison from the side and politely said, “Mr. Ford?’ He turned to look at us. “I hope you’re not flying tonight,” he said as he set down the drink. Smooth. Gesturing toward me, my friend said, “She has something she’d like to ask you.” And we’re on!

Calista looked annoyed, but maybe she was just hungry. It probably wouldn’t have been a bad idea to bring her an appetizer along with the drink we got for her man. The waiters were nervous and the other patrons watched with amazement. Everyone was holding their breath. Mr. Ford, however, was calm and polite. I started talking and sat down on the empty barstool next to him.

Because of all the cautionary build-up that he didn’t know about, I felt the need to preface. “This won’t be so bad and I promise not to take up too much of your time. I’ve got this celebrity photo album. It’s just a bunch of pictures of me taken by celebrities. Will you take my picture?” Graciously, he said, “Okay.” I handed him my camera then stood up and backed up for the shot. He asked, “Are you sure you want to be this close?” I said, “Well, we can do whatever you want. This is your entry.”

He just snapped a quick photo to appease me and said sarcastically, “I think you’re really going to like that.” His dry delivery made it very funny.

I smiled and sat back down next to him. We were almost done. He still had ahold of my camera and leaned over to Calista to explain my idea. What luck! His endorsement surely made it easier for me to get her to participate.

When they gave the camera back, my friend complimented Mr. Ford on his Breitling Aerospace watch. Harrison seemed pleased that he was finally being recognized for his taste in fashion instead of for his celebrity. “Thanks. It’s the only watch to have,” he replied. And the pilots shared a piloty moment.

I thanked the couple for their time, Harrison thanked my friend for the drink, and we left.

As fun as this experience was I'm still not a fan of sushi. As a matter of fact, a few years after this photo was taken, this ultra-chic restaurant received international media attention which caused it to shut down. Evidently, an undercover sting operation revealed that The Hump offered endangered whale meat on the unofficial menu. I have to believe that renowned environmentalist, Harrison Ford, didn’t know about this.

Thanks again for the photo, Mr. Ford. Your movies are amazing and my friend liked your watch, but I want to thank you for all you do to preserve the health of this planet. You are making an enormous difference.