The Celeb Who Third-Wheeled On Harrison Ford & Calista Flockhart's First Date & Takes 'Credit' For Their Romance

If anyone had predicted a couple of decades ago that Han Solo and Ally McBeal would become one of Hollywood's best love stories, you'd have heard the collective laughter from space. Yet despite Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart's sizable age gap, the two have made their relationship work since they met at the 2002 Golden Globes. Though Flockhart was initially hesitant, once they began talking after the ceremony, "I was really charmed by him," she recalls (per The New York Times). But their first actual date might not have gone anywhere if not for one of Flockhart's "Ally" costars.

In a 2019 appearance on "The Late Late Show With James Corden" (seen here on YouTube), James Marsden revealed, "I was [Flockhart's] third wheel on her first date with Harrison Ford." The actress asked Marsden to come along on the dinner invite just in case things got uncomfortable. The dinner stretched into drinks with a few other guests at Ford's house, and Flockhart again asked Marsden to join them. Despite his misgivings — "I don't want to have my a** kicked by Han Solo" — Marsden couldn't resist staying: "As a fan, it was too good. I was like, 'Oh, I can't leave. You need me here, right?'"

Marsden is proud to have been part of the beginning of what blossomed into a June 2010 union. (Prior to this, Ford's relationship history included two short-lived marriages.) "I'm taking credit for that," he told the host. "Really. Thank God I was there." He suspects Ford might not recognize him today, but Corden assured him otherwise: "I got a feeling he would absolutely remember you as the weird guy who went on his first date with his longest relationship."  

Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart's marriage could have come right out of a Hollywood rom-com: Twice-wed guy with crusty rep meets single mom 22 years his junior, and despite all the odds, they make it work. One big secret to their success: As Jessica Rabbit said about her goofy husband Roger Rabbit (via YouTube), "He makes me laugh." In her NYT interview, Flockhart echoed those sentiments: "I love his sense of humor, and I love it when he's tender with the dogs," she said.

The "Feud" star gives as good as she gets; she's known as "The Scare Monster" for her penchant for hiding behind corners and jumping out at her husband to make him scream. Don't trust this prank-loving pair with toy creepy-crawlies, either! "I'll put a plastic spider inside his big ice cubes in the tray, and then he'll drink it," Flockhart dished. "But then I'll go to bed two weeks later, and he's out of town in Jackson, and I'll take the covers down, and there's this little rubber scorpion. It's fun."

The couple's shared love of the outdoors helps their bond, as does their preference for a quiet life. Flockhart's hobbies include reading and walking their dogs, while Ford enjoys woodworking, motorcycle riding, and flying. "We've had our ups, we've had downs like everybody else — mostly ups, which is good — and we just stay together," Flockhart told E!. "He's the person that I want to call when something happens." And to think this blissful life might not have happened if James Marsden hadn't tagged along at that first dinner!