A father and son who work together at the Glenmorangie Distillery said it was “surreal” to appear alongside Harrison Ford in a marketing campaign filmed for the whisky brand.
Alan Duff Snr, 62, a veteran production worker, and his son Alan, 31, who has worked at the distillery since 2016, have almost 40 years of experience between them, and they appear in a quarter of the 12 adverts made for the Glenmorangie campaign Once Upon A Time In Scotland.
The episodic ads are directed by actor and filmmaker Joel Edgerton, and feature the Star Wars actor playing himself as they follow the production of Glenmorangie Original 12 Years Old and The Infinita 18 Years Old, in Tain.
The adverts, being shown on TV and social media and also available on YouTube, are said by Glenmorangie to celebrate “the significance of its home, its craftsmanship and the people that make its award-winning whiskies”.
Ford is shown on film getting to grips with Scottish pronunciation and kilt etiquette, bonding with locals over a dram, and getting to know the Duff family.
In the second ad, The Campaign, Ford arrives and after mistaking Mr Duff Jnr for another Alan in another department, is given a lesson on how to pronounce Glenmorangie correctly.
Mr Duff Jnr, a production operator, said: “I was very proud to be chosen to play opposite Harrison. You knew you were in the presence of someone so successful, but he made us all feel so comfortable and gave me the advice to just be myself on screen.”
He joined the distillery nine years ago after graduating from university, and said the Hollywood star made him forget they were being filmed.
Mr Duff Jnr said: “Filming the scene itself was a lot of fun, but totally surreal. He is such a good actor, I was in awe watching him and sometimes didn’t know when he was in or out of character.
“He kept me on my toes when he went off script but gave me the space to wing it and bounce off of him, so much so I forgot the cameras were there.
“Not all fathers and sons have the opportunity to learn alongside each other so I consider myself lucky to get to work with my father every day, and sharing the experience acting alongside Harrison Ford together is something I’ll never forget.”
In the fifth advert, The Distillery, Ford meets the whole production team, including the father and son due, and he jokes to Mr Duff Snr: “Ahhhh… he’s your fault.”
Ford then instructs Mr Duff Jnr: “Look after me car” – a rare Eagle Speedster Jaguar E-type.
In the 10th episode, called Teamwork, Ford raises his glass to toast “the good people of Glenmorangy” – before being corrected again by Mr Duff Jnr, who tells him: “It’s Glenmorangie.”
Mr Duff Snr, a production operator for nearly 30 years, said: “I was quite nervous to ‘act’ alongside a global icon like Harrison Ford, but he was a gem of a guy and it was great to see him working.
“My son Alan managed to grow quite a rapport with him, so when Harrison uncovered the fact I was his father, we all had a joke about that.”
