Anne Heche and Harrison Ford co-starred together in the 1998 rom-com, Six Days, Seven Nights, but during a recent interview, the actress revealed that she nearly missed out on the role.
While guest co-hosting Tuesday’s episode of Entertainment Tonight, the 51-year-old recalled how she was told she didn’t get the movie because of her romantic relationship with Ellen DeGeneres.
Anne said it was actually Harrison Ford who ultimately stepped in as an ally on her behalf and advocated for her with the film studio, calling him ‘one of her heroes’.
Ally: Anne Heche revealed in a recent interview that Harrison Ford stepped in to advocate for her getting the role in Six Days, Seven Nights after she was shunned by Hollywood for dating Ellen DeGeneres
Heche has been opening up more and more recently about her 1990s romance with Ellen and how going public with their relationship led to being shunned by the entertainment industry.
The actress made headlines after she brought DeGeneres as her date to the 1997 premiere of Volcano. The couple dated from then until their split in 2000.
After the premiere, Anne was told that she had lost out on the starring role in Six Days, Seven Nights but thanks to Harrison Ford that all changed.
‘I would not have gotten that movie,’ she revealed. ‘He called me the day after they said I wasn’t gonna get it, because I took Ellen to the [Volcano] premiere, and Harrison Ford, he was a hero.’
Shocking: While guest co-hosting Tuesday’s episode of Entertainment Tonight , the 51-year-old recalled how Harrison Ford ‘fought a battle for’ her after she lost out on movie role for bringing Ellen to the 1997 Volcano premiere (pictured at the premiere with Ellen)
‘He said, “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn who you’re sleeping with. We’re gonna make the best romantic comedy there is and I’ll see ya on the set,”‘ Heche recollected.
Anne gushed about Ford: ‘He’s one of my heroes. He fought a battle for me and I would be on any desert island with him any day. He’s an extraordinary human being.’
During this season of Dancing With the Stars, Anne opened up more about her decision to bring Ellen to the Volcano premiere – despite knowing the controversy it would stir at the time.
‘In 1997, I met Ellen DeGeneres at the Vanity Fair party and that was the night that changed my life forever,’ said Heche to pro partner Keo Motsepe in a DWTS clip.
‘He said, “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn who you’re sleeping with. We’re gonna make the best romantic comedy there is and I’ll see ya on the set,”‘ Heche recollected.
She recalled the adverse reaction she received after telling those in her professional circle that she planned to take DeGeneres as her date to the Volcano premiere.
‘My movie premiere for Volcano, I had told them that I was taking Ellen as my date and I was told if I took Ellen I would lose my Fox contract,’ she claimed.
‘At that moment, she took my hand and said, “Do what they say” and I said, ‘”No thanks.”‘ Heche stood firm on her decision to take DeGeneres to the premiere.
‘I took Ellen to the premiere and I was ushered out before the movie even ended and was told I was not allowed to go to my own after party for fear that they would get pictures of me with a woman.’
Anne gushed about Ford: ‘He’s one of my heroes. He fought a battle for me and I would be on any desert island with him any day. He’s an extraordinary human being.’ (Pictured in 1998)
‘She was warning me, “This is going to happen,”‘ she explained to Motsepe, who listened intently to Anne’s every word.
‘I was in a relationship with Ellen DeGeneres for three-and-a-half years and the stigma attached to that relationship was so bad that I was fired from my multi-million dollar picture deal and I did not work in a studio picture for 10 years,’ alleged the Donnie Brasco star.
Heche was eliminated from DWTS last week and afterwards she spoke with ET about her decision to finally get candid about her relationship with Ellen.
‘Ellen and I haven’t spoken in years!’ Heche said. Adding: ‘Her intent and my intent were different and that’s why we separated.’
Getting candid: During this season of Dancing With the Stars, Anne opened up more about her decision to bring Ellen to the Volcano premiere – despite knowing the controversy it would stir at the time (Pictured in 2000)
‘I was a part of a revolution that helped move equality forward. I would not have been able to do that if I had not fallen in love with Ellen,’ Anne explained. ‘There is nothing more that I wear with a privilege in my life than being a person who has told the truth, and stands up for it. There is no timeline for truth. I live in love and that’s it.’
After her relationship with Ellen came to an end, Anne met and married actor Coleman Laffoon, 46. They welcomed son Homer in 2002, but, unfortunately, the couple split in 2007.
She later went on to date Men In Trees star James Tupper, 55, from late 2007 until their breakup in 2018. During their relationship, James and Anne welcome a son named Atlas, who is now 11-years-old.
‘I was in a relationship with Ellen DeGeneres for three-and-a-half years and the stigma attached to that relationship was so bad that I was fired from my multi-million dollar picture deal and I did not work in a studio picture for 10 years,’ she said during a clip from DWTS