Harrison Ford Looks At "Age, Time, And Relationships" As He Examines Indiana Jones's Legacy

TV & Film

Jul 11

Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones — Image Source: JoBlo

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is the last time fans will see Harrison Ford play the iconic archeologist, Dr Indiana Jones. Harrison Ford has been a staple in Hollywood since the 60s. He has had steady work since then, but he’s also played some of the most iconic characters in movie history, such as Han Solo in Star Wars, Rick Deckard in Blade Runner, and of course, the title role in Indiana Jones. Now that his role as Indiana Jones is over, he takes a look back on the iconic character and his time in the industry. Even though he has played some of the film industry's most recognized characters, he doesn’t consider himself a legend. He knows what a “legend” does for a living but instead considers himself a working actor, a term that he is content with. He goes on to say how he thinks the term is gracious, but to him, it just sounds old.

He goes on to say how he is grateful to Indiana Jones and Star Wars for giving him such a “freedom of choice” when it comes to the roles he plays. After the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls' poor reception with audiences, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas started discussing the idea for a fifth film. However, Harrison Ford at the time said he did not feel that same itch they did. Eventually, Ford said he did miss playing Indiana Jones and started to think that there was indeed “room for one more story.” He goes on to say how the new story will deal with “age, time, and relationships in family-knitting the whole thing together and feeling the kind of roundedness in all of the different stories we’ve told.” Ford then says that he feels much more comfortable leaving Indy at the place he ended in Dial of Destiny than he did in Crystal Skull.

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Dial of Destiny was originally set to come out in 2019. However, several setbacks made that impossible. In early 2020, Spielberg stepped down as director and was replaced by James Mangold. Mangold said that the original script was a “well-written adventure,” but he didn’t feel like it was about anything. It was important to him as well to showcase Indy’s age, as he is much older than in the previous films. Ford said that it was “a wonderful opportunity” and that he was excited to see Indy “at the end of his life.” Ford never felt out of place playing Indy once again. He said all he needed was “a little brush up with the whip,” and he was able to step back into Indy’s shoes.

The story ends with Ford saying how he is grateful that Tom Selleck, the first choice for Indiana Jones, couldn’t take the job due to his Magnum P.I. obligations. He’s grateful to Spielberg, Lucas, Raiders screenwriter Lawrence Kashdan, and everyone who put their talents into supporting the films. If given the chance to say something to the generation of Indy fans before he hangs up his hat for good, Ford channeled Indy and would say, “Thanks for putting up with me. I hope you’ve had a good time, I sure have”.

I think I speak for most Indiana Jones fans when I say thank you, Harrison Ford, for playing such an iconic character. We will miss Indy just as much as you will.

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