Chris Pine is an incredibly versatile actor who’s played a variety of roles across his career, from a flirty young royal in The Princess Diaries 2 to the shady head of an organization in Don’t Worry Darling. Most might agree, however, that Pine is truly at his best when he’s playing dashing and adventurous characters. He does just that in his latest movie, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, which sees him play smooth-talking bard Egdin Darvis. Though the actor has developed his own style, he has been influenced by some of the greats, and he totally blew the mind of his co-star, Michelle Rodriguez, when he revealed how an Indiana Jones scene influenced his D&D work.
The latest cinematic take on the Dungeons & Dragons mythos seeks to effectively capture the essence of the beloved tabletop game on which it’s based. Reviews for Honor Among Thieves suggest that it does so quite well. Though even if you’re not familiar with the franchise, you'll likely be drawn to its classic blockbuster trappings. Chris Pine – who’s done his fair share of big-budget fare – is aware of what kind of movie this is. And while discussing the production with CinemaBlend, he explained just why he relishes these types of flicks:
This movie is full of movie moments, which I love where you’re reading it and you know exactly, you’ve seen it a bunch of times or you know what the camera’s gonna do. Some actors chafe at that. I happen to really love it because it’s a meta moment when I’m an actor doing it, reminding myself of all the actors I remember watching growing up doing the same moment. And much is due to my fascination and supplication before the man that is Harrison Ford.
When it comes to the great actors that have graced the silver screen, Harrison Ford definitely stands as one of the most iconic. He’s delivered numerous memorable performances during his illustrious career. THough Ford shines in all sorts of films, he’s truly endeared himself to the masses through his turns in revered action/adventure features like Star Wars and Blade Runner. The Indiana Jones movies are, of course, amongst his most beloved cinematic outings and, if you’ve seen them, it’s not hard to understand why. Considering his body of work, it totally tracks that Chris Pine would be a fan of the series, and I probably would’ve geeked out like Michelle Rodriguez after learning about the combat-related Indy scene that inspired him:
Chris Pine: You know Edgin is very much of an archetypal type of hero, he’s Mr. Positive most of the time. And you know, I always come back to the moment of like, where [Indiana Jones] is faced with a guy that’s doing all sorts of fancy knife work, and then he shoots ‘em. It’s akin to that, you know?
Michelle Rodriguez: Oh dude, I totally see the Indiana now! Ah, I’m not gonna get that out of my head. That’s awesome.
Dungeons And Dragons: Honor Among Thieves: 8 Thoughts I Had Watching The New Fantasy Movie
Few movie scenes are as memorable as Indy’s brief standoff in Raiders of the Lost Ark, which sees the professor and archaeologist shoot a brute that prepares to take him on with a sword. And that’s only one of the great moments that Harrison Ford (under the direction of Steven Spielberg) played out as Jones. More could be on the way, too, as Harrison Ford is set to reprise the role of Dr. Jones one final time in the upcoming Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
While Indiana and Edgin face very different circumstances in their respective movies, they do possess some similarities. They’re both charming, they can get themselves out of tough situations and understand the value of having allies. Harrison Ford and Chris Pine’s characters definitely represent an archetype that we’ve seen for years now. And the latter certainly does a fine job of portraying it in this newest D&D installment.
Check out Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves in theaters now, and take a look at CinemaBlend’s schedule of 2023 new movie releases for info on other big films arriving this year. Those feeling nostalgic for Indiana Jones can also stream the first four movies using a Paramount+ subscription.
