Harrison Ford shares the secret recipe for making Indiana Jones an icon

Harrison Ford doesn’t really need an introduction. He’s one of the biggest stars on the planet, and has a laundry list of iconic characters under his belt, including Han Solo, Jack Ryan, and Rick Deckard. Ford’s opinions on these characters have varied over the years (he famously lobbied for Solo’s death), but one that’s always been near and dear to his heart is Indiana Jones.

He has been promoting the hell out of the upcoming Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, and he even got emotional when it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. It’s nice to see an actor often pegged as “grumpy” be so invested, and he even shed light on how to play the famous archeologist during an interview with ScreenRant.

Ford told the outlet that the humanity of Indiana Jones must be evident whenever he’s onscreen, or the character ceases to be relatable.

“To make the audience understand. That the physical challenges, the emotional challenges, the overcoming of fear, the overcoming of just how you can believe the circumstances you’ve gotten yourself in, and how you might work your way out of them is a big part of the story.”

He’s right on the money. So many of the best Indiana Jones moments come when the character is exhausted, or seriously wounded, and forced to continue out of necessity. It’s what makes the truck sequence in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), or the tank chase in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), so exciting to watch.

It’s also what sets Indiana Jones apart from the heroes that have dominated blockbusters in the 21st Century. Fans have become accustomed to seeing superhumans take an insane amount of damage with nothing more than a scratch, whereas Indy is usually a bloody mess by the time he gets to the end of his missions. We hope things don’t get too bloody in the Dial of Destiny, though, given that Ford is 80 years old.

Ford’s humane, heroic brand is what’s made it difficult to imagine anybody else taking up the mantle of Indiana Jones. Dial of Destiny producer Kathleen Kennedy has gone on record to say that nobody will play Indy once Ford retires, and she cited the mixed reception to Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) as proof that the actor is irreplaceable. 

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny may close the book on the titular character, but Ford is busier than ever. He currently stars in two hit shows, 1923 and Shrinking, and he’s slated to play Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross in the upcoming MCU blockbuster Captain America: Brave New World.