Felicity Jones admits she was at a loss for words when she met fellow “Star Wars” star Harrison Ford for the first time on Monday night at the Los Angeles premiere of her new drama “Train Dreams.”
“That was a real moment for me,” Jones, who starred as Jyn Erso in “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” told me, adding, “Obviously, he’s like the forefather of the whole universe. It’s like meeting my great ancestral figure.”
Felicity Jones on meeting her fellow “Star Wars” star Harrison Ford at the “Train Dreams” premiere for the first time. pic.twitter.com/r2kwJLklwB
“I was a little bit speechless, taken aback,” she said. “I actually really studied him, studied his work to play Jyn Erso in the film. He was a massive, massive inspiration, particularly what he does in ‘Indiana Jones.’ I watched them over and over and over again because I wanted to have some of that looseness that he has to be in her. It was very special, the worlds colliding tonight.”
Jones’ co-star Joel Edgerton, who played Owen Lars in two “Star Wars” movies, as well in the television series “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” invited Ford to the premiere. The two have become close since Edgerton directed Ford in an ad campaign last year for Glenmorangie Scotch Whisky. “He’s a good enough friend to want to support the film and hang out and that made me feel very special,” Edgerton said.
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Directed and co-written by Clint Bentley, “Train Dreams” is based Denis Johnson’s novella of the same name about a logger and railroad man (Edgerton) in the early 20th century contemplating life as he experiences work, love (Jones plays his wife) and death.
Edgerton felt the movie would resonate with Ford because he “lives out in the wilderness in Wyoming and he’s very connected to nature.”
Ford also is a “working man,” who was a carpenter before he become the “greatest” movie star of “all time,” Edgerton said. “In fact, I tried to buy a house back about eight years ago and the realtor said, ‘You know, one of the cool things about this house is Harrison Ford built the kitchen.’ And when I worked with Harrison, I told him this story, and he goes, ‘Yeah,’ and he told me the address of the house.”
Edgerton also revealed that he had a “great” reunion with George Lucas on Saturday at the LACMA Art+Film Gala: “I tapped him on the shoulder and was literally like, ‘It’s Uncle Owen.’”
“Train Dreams” will be released in select theaters in the U.S. on Nov. 7, before streaming on Netflix globally on Nov. 21. The film is gaining awards season traction, picking up two Gotham Film Awards nominations last week for best feature and best adapted screenplay.
From Variety US