In honor of John Williams’ 54th Oscar nomination, Variety spoke with one star whose on-screen heroics arguably wouldn’t have been the same without him.
Harrison Ford dusted off an old chestnut, in fact, about how the theme music from Raiders of the Lost Ark follows him “everywhere” he goes. “Literally. When I had my last colonoscopy, they were playing it on the operating room speakers,” he said.
Ford also commented that he has sat in on scoring sessions just to watch Williams. “It’s a delight to see him work with the orchestra just the pleasure of being able to sit in a room and process the remarkable attention that each beat of the music gets,” he said. “And their respect for him and his respect for them is just so much fun to watch.”
Another Oscar winner, Steven Spielberg, collaborated with Williams for 1976’s Jaws — Williams’ second Best Original Score win — and has worked with him 28 other times.
He expressed, “Schindler’s List is the greatest piece of scoring John has ever done for me. I will never answer that question about what’s my favorite of my films … But I can say my favorite score and the best score — both combined — that John has done for me is Schindler’s.”
At 92, Williams’ nomination for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny makes him the oldest nominee in Hollywood history and the most nominated non-producer ever.
Despite the accolades, the former jazz musician remains humble. About his legacy, Williams says, “If I could be remembered as someone who did his job well and remembered as a good solid musician, I would rest very happily.”