From being swept up in galactic turmoil as Han Solo to perfecting whip movements as Indiana Jones, there’s absolutely no denying that acting veteran Harrison Ford has found himself involved in a variety of eye-popping action set pieces. But after forty years of portraying the latter adventurous protagonist, it’s quite clear that a big part of the role is performing tricky stunts — although Ford has been honest in wanting to achieve these stunts without any extra help.
In an interview with Esquire, Ford carefully discussed a particular pulse-pounding stunt in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, where Jones is riding a horse along a subway platform. While explaining the scene, Ford got candid about several stunt performers attempting to help him from falling off the horse — which left Ford completely flabbergasted and insisting that he “wants” the scene to look that way. Ford said:
“I thought, What the fuck? Like I was being attacked by gropers. I look down and there’s three stunt guys there making sure I didn’t fall off the stirrup. They said, Oh, we were just afraid because we thought, you know, and bah bah bah bah. And I said, Leave me alone, I’m an old man getting off a horse and I want it to look like that!”
Sure, there were a few more profanities sprinkled in, but Ford’s message is obviously loud and clear no matter what. Even at 80 years old, Ford still possesses a strong connection to the beloved character — which is exactly why the acclaimed actor insisted on returning to the franchise and making a movie that was true to the character.
So with performances as Solo and Jones now both in the rearview mirror, Ford can continue to venture on to other projects — one of which includes portraying the President of the United States in Captain America: New World Order. From one ever-popular film franchise to the next.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny hits theaters on June 30.