Harrison Ford has played some of the most iconic roles in modern American cinema: CIA agent Jack Ryan, adventurous archeologist Indiana Jones, and outer space bounty hunter Han Solo. Yet the coolest thing he’s ever done, as far as I’m concerned, is get his ear pierced. You wouldn’t think the guy who played the president in Air Force One or the titular hero in The Fugitive could prove he’s as badass as his onscreen personas are, but that’s where this cool dude manages to surprise you: he may be getting up there in years (today being his 73rd birthday), but he’s still prettttty cooool.
I mean, it takes a confident man to rock a tiny stud like that — or sometimes even stepping out with a gold hoop dangling from his lobe. He got it done when he was 55 — certainly no spring chicken — after a lunch with other rad fellas Jimmy Buffett and 60 Minutes‘ personality Ed Bradley. He told People back in 1997 that it was his famous, hip friends who convinced him to get that hot accessory. “We all had the same phones and watches. But I realized I didn’t have an earring like they did.” You wouldn’t think Ford would be a joiner, but he’s also the kinda guy who wouldn’t pass up a hot fad like male jewelry. Right after that fateful lunch, he snuck into a Claire’s in Manhattan and got the job done. Yep, just like all of the girls in your fifth grade class, Harrison Ford went straight to the piercing experts at Claire’s! (The real question: do you think he and Jimmy Buffett both went to Best Buy to pick up Motorola Razrs?)
Now, nearly twenty years later, it’s almost impossible to look beyond Harrison Ford’s earring. Yes, there is a man behind that accent piece — you see him when you re-watch some of his most classic movies! But the question remains: what would his on-screen personas, nearly as kick-ass as he is, look with his groovy accessory. Well, there’s only one way to find out. Thank goodness for Photoshop!
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