They say never meet your heroes but for Joel Edgerton, he had a ball of a time meeting his – Harrison Ford.
The Aussie actor and director, who admits he dressed as Indiana Jones as a kid, directed the Star Wars alum in a new campaign for Glenmorangie whisky and described Ford as a “legend” for his attitude on-set.
Ford even got into a kilt for the series, titled Once Upon a Time in Scotland, which was styled by Edgerton’s long-time love and editor-in-chief of Vogue Australia, Christine Centenera .
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“When I was younger, I never thought I’d ever have lunch with Harrison so I certainly could never have imagined that one day I’d be working with Harrison Ford and that these words were going to come out of my mouth, ‘Harrison, can I get you to wear a kilt?’,” Edgerton told Variety of the surreal experience.
They shot 12 different short episodes across three days, showing Ford travelling to Andross Castle in Scotland.
Recalling their first meeting, over lunch, Edgerton said the actor was the gruff personality he’s become famous for but warmed to the Aussie’s ideas.
“While he was shaking my hand, he said, ‘I heard they want me to ride a horse and fly a plane, and I’m not doing any of that’,” Edgerton told the US trade publication.
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“I felt good because that’s exactly what the first spot was going to be about – him going, ‘I don’t want to do what they want me to do’.
“We hit it off and by the end of the meeting, he was like, ‘I’ll do whatever you want me to do'”.
It was a similarly surreal experience for the photographer behind the campaign, fellow Aussie Lachlan Bailey, who also grew up a Ford fan.
He shared a story of his first meeting with The Fugitive star in a post on Instagram.
“I grew up on Star Wars and Indiana Jones, so when I was asked to shoot the stills for this campaign – alongside fellow Aussie and director Joel Edgerton – I couldn’t have been more excited… and nervous,” he wrote.
“The night before the shoot, I was invited to a team dinner with Harrison. I expected a big gathering where I could blend into the crowd, but instead, I found myself in a small, firelit room, face-to-face with someone I’d spent countless hours watching on screen.
“For 30 minutes, I stood next to him, barely saying a word. Completely starstruck, I just stared at his face like I was watching him on TV – mouth open, captivated by that unmistakable voice.
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“This was possibly the most nervous and intimidating week on set but at the same time what a bloody dream come true.”
Edgerton is the latest antipodean to take a turn as an ad director with a Hollywood name spruiking a spirit, after Taika Waititi’s Belvedere vodka ad with Daniel Craig.
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