Harrison Ford Goes Out Using High-Tech Crutch
If anyone can make a crutch look good, it’s 71-year-old Harrison Ford. The handsome actor recently suffered an injury on the set of the new Star Wars film, worrying his costars and fans and sending the cast and crew into a bit of a frenzy trying to figure out how to keep the movie on track without Ford in tip-top shape. Han Solo himself made his first public appearance in London for a night on the town sporting a specialized crutch called the iWalk. This crutch cradles his leg from the knee down so that it’s behind him, though it extends straight down to work as a leg.
“I wish everybody was so easy. He gets it. He’s mechanically inclined. He’s a tough guy. He was in very good spirits – he was alert and very sharp. He wants his independence,” said the director of business development for iWalk, Brad Hunter.
The actor’s new crutch doesn’t just make it easier for the star to get around; it also helps aid him in his recovery. The iWalk is unlike other crutches in that it doesn’t allow for a passive recovery or the chance of atrophy. It’s an active method for recovering from an injury as serious as Ford’s.
It’s unclear how long Ford will need the crutch, though he’s reportedly anxious to get back to filming as quickly as possible. The cast and production crew of the new Stars Wars film made some changes to the shooting schedule so that most of Ford’s more difficult scenes could wait until he is fully recovered from his injuries. In the meantime, there is plenty for the film crew to shoot, and hundreds of other actors and extras in the film for them to work with until Ford is up to reprising his role – again – as Han Solo.
(Photo by Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images)
