Harrison Ford will forever be cemented as a Hollywood icon, largely due to his beloved roles in two George Lucas-created franchises, Star Wars and Indiana Jones. But in the past, the actor has famously spoken a tad ill of Lucas’ creations, virally calling Han Solo a “relatively thin” character whom he wanted to see killed off, and reportedly convinced the filmmakers to do it in the Sequel Trilogy. But as Ford gets ready to say goodbye to Indiana Jones, he’s giving a lot of credit to Lucas for giving him his fruitful career.
CinemaBlend’s Jeff McCobb spoke to Harrison Ford and Phoebe Waller-Bridge in Los Angeles during the press day for Indiana Jones 5. During the interview, McCobb asked the legendary actor what he thinks it is about George Lucas and the iconic characters he created that make them worth revisiting over forty years later. In Ford’s words:
Well, I didn’t create the characters. George Lucas and the writers created the characters. I’m not a real archeologist. I just play one on TV. So, really what I was given was a gift for any actor, a character with humor and also some brains and some just wonderful adventures to go on with fantastic characters, like the character that Phoebe [Waller-Bridge] plays. So, for me, this is not me, this is me in collaboration with other people. I’m just a part of this. And look, it’s been very important in my career, because it’s helped me do all the other kinds of films that I enjoy doing. If your films are not successful, there are limitations placed on you. And, this really helped me have a wonderful career.
Release Date: June 30, 2023
Directed By: James Mangold
Written By: Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth, David Koepp and James Mangold
Starring: Harrison Ford, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Antonio Banderas, John Rhys-Davies, Toby Jones, Boyd Holbrook, Ethann Isidore and Mads Mikkelsen
Runtime: 142 minutes
While Harrison Ford undoubtedly and seamlessly brought Han Solo and Indiana Jones to life in an iconic way that has made him irreplaceable, it all starts on the page, and Ford pointed that out in his response. The 80-year-old actor may have virally shared his feelings on the lack of depth he found in Han Solo, or he made it clear he doesn't care what a Force Ghost is, but he gave credit to Lucas for giving him a huge “gift” with these roles.
Ford can’t deny how “important” these iconic characters have been to his career and how they’ve ultimately opened doors for him to be the famed figure he is today. While the actor was beginning to gain traction all on his own in the ‘60s in a series of minor roles in TV shows, when he scored an audition with George Lucas for 1973’s American Graffiti, his life and career changed forever.
The role in the coming-of-age movie led to him landing his roles in Star Wars and Indiana Jones, but historically, he’s seemed to have more of a particular fondness for the latter. The actor originally signed on to more Indiana Jones movies than Star Wars movies and recently shared that he’s “always wanted” to explore the character at the “end of his life,” as he does in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
Dial of Destiny premiered at Cannes Film Festival to an emotional moment from Ford, you can see how Indiana Jones’ legacy ends when the upcoming 2023 movie hits theaters on June 30.
