According to Brad Duke’s “Harrison Ford: The Films,” the actor viewed the looming (though far from guaranteed) success of “Star Wars” as a springboard to more interesting work. “Heroes” offered an appealing landing spot. Ford was third billed behind Henry Winkler, a television phenom based on his portrayal of The Fonz on “Happy Days,” and Sally Field, who was about to become a full-fledged movie star as Burt Reynolds’ co-star in 1977’s second-highest-grossing movie (behind “Star Wars”) “Smokey and the Bandit.”

Ford read for the part (probably the last time he did that), and left a delayed impression on Kagan:

“He was quite shy and quite good in the casting session, but he was not very communicative. He stayed in my mind, though, and I called him back and he told me a little more about himself. I thought I’d take a chance. There was something special about him. Something honest, simple, that came from the heart.”

“Heroes” received mixed reviews, but even the harshest pan, from The New York Times’ Vincent Canby, praised Ford’s screen presence. Ford shrugged off the reception. “I didn’t really care if people went to see the movie,” he said. “I was doing it for people in the industry so that they would understand that it wasn’t the only string in my bow … and that I was fiercely determined to do that kind of thing.”