Is Harrison Ford Dying? Icon Admits He Was 'Psychologically Not Well' In Startling Confession

Harrison Ford recalled how acting became his saving grace after a hard-fought struggle for his mental health.

Ford shared a startling confession about his mental health during his college years. In a candid interview with The Hollywood Reporter's Awards Chatter podcast, he admitted, 'I was more than depressed. I think I was ill.'

The revelation is both surprising and inspiring to fans who saw him as the stoic leading man, someone who played three pop culture icons. He's fleshed out numerous characters, but he's most remembered as Han Solo, Indiana Jones, and Blade Runner's Rick Deckard.

Harrison Ford Shares Mental Health Struggles in College

Ford said getting adjusted to college life was a rough start. He rarely left his room and struggled with the isolation. 'I had a single room and I had classes to go to, but I rarely ventured out,' he said.

'I would get up out of my single bed, go to a phone, order a pizza, go back and lay down in bed until the pizza came,' he added. 'I would eat the pizza, throw the wrappers in the corner, go back to sleep.'

On rare occasions when he attempted to attend class, Ford would back out at the last moment. 'On the rare occasion I did go to the classroom, I would often touch the door on the outside of the building, and turn around and walk back,' he recalled.

At 83, Ford admitted he had serious problems with his mental health. 'I was socially ill, psychologically not well,' he said. He also thought himself a misfit, unable to find his community at college.

Finding a Community in Acting

It was serendipity that 'forced' him to pursue acting, which evidently worked out in the end. 'I accidentally — in an attempt to get my grade-point-average up — took a class called 'drama' without reading the full description of the class,' he said. 'I didn't read the part where it said that you had to actually be in them as well, so that was a surprise.'

'I was surprised that the people that I had considered to be fellow geeks and misfits were, in fact, some of the most interesting people I knew,' he continued. 'And so I think I simply found my place amongst storytellers. It really changed my world, changed my life.'

Thankfully, Ford's struggles did not reach a point of self-harm, and neither did he reveal having any thoughts like that. On the contrary, he said he's 'happy to be the age I am, and I have no impulse to hide it' last month, in an interview with NPR.

Last year, rumours circulated about Ford's physical health, with many asking if he has Parkinson's disease. The speculation stems from his comments about his role in Apple TV's Shrinking, where his character is diagnosed with the condition.

He said he took the character's journey 'deadly f***ing seriously,' adding that 'it's just to say that this is a person particularly equipped to communicate what it is that it's like, something worth sharing with our audience.'

A Look Back on His Lifetime Achievement Award

Ford back alluded to his college struggles in March, while accepting his Lifetime Achievement Award. 'I feel incredibly grateful for this kind attention. But to be clear, I also am quite humbled,' he said with tears in his eyes.

'The work I do with other actors is one of the great joys of my life. And being able to deliver the work we create together to an audience is an honour and a privilege,' he affirmed. 'And because of that privilege, I've come to know myself.'

'Success in this business brings a certain freedom that comes with responsibility to support each other, to lift others up when we can. To keep the door open for the next kid, the next lost boy who's looking for a place to belong. I'm indeed a lucky guy.'