Harrison Ford has a reputation for being deliberately laconic and restrained in interviews (sometimes for humorous effect like his hilarious interviews on The Conan O’Brien Show), but he showed a rare shift of emotion in an interview on Monday with BBC Radio 1 concerning the upcoming Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny film.
80-year-old Ford, who reprises his role as the titular, intrepid archaeologist/adventurer for what will be the fifth (and likely final) time, actually got teary-eyed when speaking about his tenure in the Indiana Jones films and the importance of his character to the many fans garnered over the years.
“I think the thing that I most admire about them is the depth and subtlety of the emotion, and the importance of emotion in these films,” Ford told host Ali Plumb.
Ford said that Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny reflects real life in that the character will be facing the trials and tribulations that come with growing old.
“As this last one concerns age and frailty and changing nature of life, it was especially compelling to me, because I am of that age and I wanted it to feel real for the audience,” Ford continued. “I wanted them to see the complexity of that experience with someone they’ve spent 40 years with.”
Plumb then told Ford, “Can I just say, on behalf of all the fans, thank you. It’s been such an adventure. We love you so much. I don’t want to make you blush or anything, but you mean the world to us and thank you.”
Ford, whose face began to soften to reflect the emotional gravitas of the moment, shared his own message to the entirety of the Indiana Jones fandom. “And I must say to you, thank you sincerely,” Ford replied. “It means the world to me.”
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, which will take place primarily in the 1940s, will feature scenes where Indiana is presented as a younger man thanks to anti-aging film technology. Ford praised the technology, stating that it wasn’t “Photoshop magic” but that the movie actually made him look like he was a young man again.
“I know that that is my face,” Ford state. “It’s not a kind of Photoshop magic — that’s what I looked like 35 years ago.”
“Because Lucasfilm has every frame of film that we’ve made together over all of these years. And this process, this scientific mining of this library, this was put to good [use].”
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is set to release in theaters on June 30th. The film is the first Indiana Jones film that won’t be written by George Lucas or directed by Steven Spielberg, though both are signed on as executive producers to the film that will be directed by James Mangold of Logan and Ford v Ferrari fame. The movie will feature Mads Mikkelsen, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Antonio Banderas, Boyd Holbrook and Shaunette Renee Wilson alongside Ford in the starring role.
What do you think of Harrison Ford’s rare show of emotion in addressing the Indiana Jones fandom? Let us know in the comments.
