Harrison Ford has had a career spanning more than half his life. Starting when he was in his mid-twenties, Ford famously did a lot of small parts and carpentry work prior to the roles that made him a household name. He was 31 years old by the time he was in American Graffiti, and that was prior to Star Wars and Indiana Jones. Since then, he’s been a man people know they can rely on to bring the action and stardom to his films.
Now, at the age of 80, fans are worried that he might be getting ready to retire from acting entirely—but don’t worry! He’s Harrison Ford. That was never going to happen, and he basically said as much in a new interview gearing up for his return as Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
In an interview with Chris Wallace for Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace, Ford was asked whether or not he has plans to retire. “I don’t, I don’t do well when I don’t have work. I love to work, I love to feel useful. It’s my jones. I want to be helpful.” This isn’t surprising given the amount of work he is putting out again and how busy he’s been.
But despite what people want to believe about Harrison Ford, it isn’t just about the money to him. When asked why he keeps working, he answered honestly. “It is the people you get to work with,” he said. “The intensity and the intimacy of collaboration. It’s the combined ambition somehow forged from words on a page. I don’t plan what I want to do in a scene. I don’t feel obliged to do anything. I’m naturally affected by things that I work on.”
It’s always Harrison Ford’s best
At the premiere of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, I got to tell this man what his work means to me. It’s not just Indiana Jones or Han Solo but everything he’s done, because Ford has this ability to share with the audience the emotions of the character he’s playing whether it is in a thriller, comedy, or his action-adventure movies we’ve come to love. Ford is one of the best actors out there and it’s because he knows how to bring his own energy to the character he’s building and it’s what makes them all so iconic.
I want plenty more from him. Whether that’s more of the same characters again or new adventures for Ford to take on is up to him. What I think is fascinating about him as a performer though is that he never seems to want to do the same things. He’ll return to characters we know and love, but he will also mix it up with something completely new and different in the middle of it. That’s what makes his filmography so fascinating to unpack, and I love that he doesn’t want to go anywhere.
(featured image: Walt Disney Studios)
