If it wasn’t for Indiana Jones integrating himself into entertainment culture, we would consider it quite strange for a grown man to be carrying a bullwhip around. In fact, we’d certainly assume the most vulgar, explicit things of someone keeping such a weapon within arm’s reach. But since 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark, we’ve known Harrison Ford as Indy, the adventurer armed to the teeth with infinite wisdom, excessive determination and, of course, a whip. And suddenly, we don’t think it all so weird.
But Ford himself certainly had some thoughts on Indiana Jones’ purpose as a character, particularly his shocking fashion sense, which suggests inclinations towards BDSM (no, not really, but it looks like that, right?). He isn’t exactly the most conventional character, is he?
In an interview with GQ, Ford recalls the many, many concerns that arose when he was initially introduced to the Indiana Jones character.
“My questions about it were many. Why am I wearing a leather jacket in the jungle? Isn’t it hot here? Why am I carrying a whip? What am I going to do with a [expletive] whip? I’m going to whip people?”
Now that Ford has sang his swan song as Indy, we won’t be seeing him again after Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, which is performing steadily at the box office, but perhaps not as well as most would have thought. Ford himself is 80 years old, so it’s certainly looking like he may be retiring from acting altogether soon enough, though there are still many years left in him.
Additionally, Dial of Destiny stars Fleabag‘s Phoebe Waller-Bridge as Helena Shaw, Jones’ goddaughter, and Mads Mikkelsen as Jürgen Voller, a former Nazi who seeks to use NASA’s Apollo moon landing program for his own personal gain.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is currently showing in theaters for all your whipping pleasures.
