Harrison Ford is offering his perspective on love, commitment, and the lessons age has taught him about marriage. The 83-year-old actor recently appeared on NPR’s Wild Card with Rachel Martin, where he reflected on his enduring relationship with his wife, actress Calista Flockhart.
“Old people can love, too,” Ford said with a laugh, addressing how romance is often portrayed as a young person’s domain. “You think it’s the business of youth or something, you know, and staying in love is the issue. Maintaining, nurturing, basically, not f— up.”
When Martin remarked that relationships require daily effort, Ford lightened the conversation with humor. “With some days off for bad behavior,” he quipped.
The Shrinking Star also shared how he perceives the length of his marriage. “If asked how long we’ve been together, my instinct would be to say all my life,” he said. Looking back, Ford joked about his younger years, adding, “I was married for the first time at 23 years of age, which should be illegal.”
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Ford has been married three times. His first marriage to Mary Marquardt lasted from 1964 to 1979. In 1983, he married screenwriter Melissa Mathison, with whom he remained until their divorce in 2004.
He met Flockhart, now 60, at the Golden Globe Awards in 2002. Their relationship quickly became serious, and a few years later, Ford openly declared, “I’m in love,” during an interview with Hello! magazine. The pair became engaged over Valentine’s Day weekend in 2009 while on a family vacation, and the following year they exchanged vows in New Mexico.
Ford and Flockhart have since built a life together that balances Hollywood careers with a private family life. This past June, the couple celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary, a milestone Ford credits to humor, patience, and the ability to embrace imperfections.
He emphasized that their lasting bond has been shaped not by grand gestures but by the daily practice of love and understanding. His reflections highlighted a broader message that romance does not belong only to the young but can deepen and thrive with time.
For Ford, the lessons of his past marriages and decades of experience have distilled into a simple formula: nurture the relationship, laugh often, and accept the occasional off day. As he put it, staying in love is less about perfection and more about resilience and care.