U.S. actor Harrison Ford will auction the iconic leather jacket he wore as Han Solo in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” the latest film in the space saga, so that profits from the sale can go to research on treating epilepsy.
Interested buyers may bid for the jacket on the If Only Web site, which specializes in celebrity auctions, and the online bidding will remain open until April 11.
As of Tuesday, the highest bid for the jacket, which is signed by Ford and includes a certificate from the Lucasfilm production company, was $33,000.
The 73-year-old actor decided to donate the proceeds from the jacket to the FACES foundation at NYU Langone hospital in New York, which is doing research into treating and developing new cures for epilepsy, after the medical center helped improve the quality of life for his daughter, who suffers from the neurological disease.
Ford said at a FACES fundraising gala in early March that his daughter was admitted to NYU Langone nine years ago to be treated for epilepsy and she has not had an epileptic attack since the day she was released.
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” which began showing in theaters last December, became the highest-grossing film in U.S. history in January, exceeding the $760.5 million taken in by “Avatar,” directed by James Cameron.
