Geoff Schumacher

Harrison Ford and Denzel Washington are two of the good guys. They are good actors, of course, but they also are good people. They aren’t tabloid fodder, preferring not to live the fast-lane lives of many of their colleagues. This fact is reflected in two recent profiles.

The Jan. 10 issue of Parade magazine had a profile of Ford. Ford likes flying airplanes. He owns eight of them. He also walks his dog in the local park. At 67, he has older kids and younger kids and grandkids. He tries to be as much of a regular guy as he can reasonably pull off. Work of whatever kind is what makes him happy: “Where I find peace is where I find the most utility, probably on a movie set or in an airplane, not a place. I think I have to find peace in focused activity.”

Washington, profiled in the Jan. 8-10 issue of USA Weekend, seems to have a lot in common with Ford, including a drive to work and a sense of humility about his success. He’s been married to the same woman for 26 years and has four kids, all in college or beyond. “I’m a work in progress like everybody else,” says Washington, 55. “I’m just an ordinary guy with a great job. And, like any human being, I’m constantly trying to improve.”

Ford and Washington exemplify what can be achieved in the movie business while maintaining a semblance of a normal life and family.