New Delhi: Harrison Ford was awarded an honorary Doctor of Arts and Humane Letters degree at Arizona State University, where the 83-year-old actor also addressed more than 14,000 graduating students on Monday, May 11. During his speech, Ford offered no sugar-coated view of the future. Reflecting on the state of the world, he told students they were stepping into “a real mess.”
“We need a cultural change. We need to extend social justice. We need to respect and elevate the indigenous people that are being marginalised and in many cases, killed in cold blood. The world you are stepping into, the world my generation left you is a real mess,” said the Indiana Jones star, and the crowd erupted in cheers.
Ford stressed the urgency of protecting the planet, saying the world must safeguard 30 per cent of its land and oceans by 2030 to prevent mass extinction and slow climate change. But despite scientific progress and new environmental policies, he warned that nature continues to be destroyed by profiteering, corruption and conflict.
Encouraging students to take responsibility for the future, the actor urged them to find their purpose and use their talents to create change.
“Find a place for yourself…Build something that didn’t exist yesterday,” he said. “Stand up for people who cannot stand up for themselves. Bring together those who were never in conversation before. That is leadership. That is what truly moves the needle.”
Ford reminded graduates that their generation holds far more influence than they may realise. If they learn to use their voice, stand by the issues they care about, and step into leadership, he said, the world will have no choice but to listen.
“This is your time. Own it. And enjoy every second of it,” he told them.
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How Ford fell in love with acting
Ford also reflected on his college years, admitting that he did not make “good choices” and was “squandering in riotous living.”
His grades had deteriorated by junior year. Therefore, searching for what he thought would be an “easy A,” he enrolled in a drama class, assuming he would spend most of his time working backstage at the box office or building sets. Instead, he unexpectedly discovered a love for acting.
Ford said the class introduced him to people he had once dismissed as “geeks and misfits.” But over time, he realised he belonged among them.
“I soon understood that I was a geek and a misfit, too. I had found my people,” he said.
As he began landing major roles in college productions, Ford said the stage gave him a confidence he had never experienced before.
“I began to find myself onstage by pretending to be someone else. I had always thought of myself as shy, but behind costumes, makeup and characters, I discovered a kind of freedom and bravery,” he recalled.
A mentor from the theatre department later encouraged him to pursue acting more seriously, eventually leading him to California just before graduating from Ripon College in Wisconsin. The early years in Hollywood, however, were difficult. Acting jobs were rare, and Ford supported his growing family by working as a carpenter. For nearly 15 years, he said, he landed only “four or five acting jobs.”
His life changed overnight when he was cast as Han Solo in Star Wars. The success brought financial stability, freedom and opportunity, but Ford admitted something still felt incomplete.
“Passion and purpose are not the same thing,” he said.
The actor later found that deeper sense of purpose through his work with Conservation International, the nonprofit environmental group he joined more than three decades ago.
“It became a place where I could use my passion for storytelling for something larger than myself,” Ford said. “I never wanted to just be the face of a cause. I wanted to be part of the work.”