Michelle Obama Jokes She's "Tripping Out" as Harrison Ford Appears at White House Screening of 42

First lady can't help but be star-struck by the Indiana Jones actor

By Josh Grossberg Apr 02, 2013 9:17 PMTags
Harrison Ford, Rachel Robinson, Michelle ObamaMANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images

Michelle Obama finally got to meet one of her big-screen idols.

The First Lady welcomed Harrison Ford and costar Chadwick Boseman as the guests of honor at a special White House screening of their new Jackie Robinson biopic, 42.

"I want to thank Harrison Ford—I've wanted to say that for a while," an excited Obama told students who were invited as part of a film workshop. "Harrison Ford. So you think you trip because I'm here? I'm tripping out because he's here."

In her remarks, the first lady revealed she and President Barack Obama watched the film over the weekend and had nothing but praise, calling it "powerful."

"I don't know about you, but we walked away from that just visible, physically moved by the experience of the movie, of the story," she said.

Boseman plays the iconic baseball legend while Ford stars as Dodgers' general manager Branch Rickey, who signed Robinson and broke the color barrier in the majors.

 

Obama encouraged her young audience to work hard to accomplish their goals, pointing to a certain Indiana Jones star on stage as an example.

"Before he became an actor, Harrison Ford had to overcome a crippling fear of speaking in front of an audience. So he's terrified right now," she joked.

42 hits theaters on April 12.