Harrison Ford, 80, is truly one of the biggest movie stars of all time. Indiana Jones and Han Solo are two of the most iconic characters in history, and he’s given memorable performances in so many other great films.
The legendary actor turns 81 last month, and certainly has nothing to prove to anyone, so it wouldn’t be a shock if he decided to call it a day. With Ford saying goodbye to Indiana Jones in a new sequel this month, there has been some speculation that the icon might be ready to retire soon.
In a new interview, Ford was asked if he was actually retiring — and his blunt response made it clear what the future holds for him.
During a recent interview on CNN’s Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?, the host asked if Ford had any thoughts about retiring. In perhaps the most Harrison Ford response possible, Ford simply gave him a long, annoyed look:
“This was going so well up until this point,” Wallace joked.
Ford laughed and then offered up his real answer: he’s not retiring any time soon. “I don’t do well when I don’t have work,” Ford explained. “I love to work. I love to feel useful. It’s my jones. I want to be helpful.”
Even at his age, and after five decades of acting, Ford still gets a lot of joy out of his craft.
“It is the people you get to work with. 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.”
While Ford plans to keep acting for years to come, he is ready to retire one of his most famous characters: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, which will be released this week, will mark his final appearance as the iconic archaeologist.
Indiana Jones debuted on screens back in 1981, and like Ford he’s not the spring chicken he used to be. But Ford said the new sequel deals with aging, with Ford saying he wanted the film to “confront the question of age, straight on.”
“[I didn’t want] to hide my age, but to take advantage of it, with the telling of the story,” he said. (The film also uses digital de-aging technology to depict flashbacks, making Ford look like he did in his Raiders of the Lost Ark days)
He previously stated that he wanted to “round up the story” with the new film before saying goodbye to the character.
“I need to sit down and rest a little bit,” Ford joked at a press conference last month. “I love to work, and I love this character, and I love what it brought into my life, and that’s all I can say.”
At 80, Ford is one of the few people in Hollywood history who could headline a major blockbuster in his senior years. His return to Indiana Jones has been highly anticipated: it’s the fifth film in the series and the first since 2008’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
It’s also been something of a victory lap for Ford, who received a lifetime achievement honor at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
“I’m very touched. I’m very moved by this,” Ford told the crowd after being surprised with the honorary Palm d’Or last month. “They say when you’re about to die, you, you see your life flash before your eyes. I just saw my life flash before my eyes.”
“You’ve given my life purpose and meaning and I’m grateful for that,” he told the audience.
And despite his age, Ford can still make the ladies swoon: One female reporter at Cannes reportedly told the actor he was still “hot,” especially in a scene where the actor takes his shirt off in the movie.
Ford appreciated the compliment: “I have been blessed with this body,” he said. “Thanks for noticing.”
Harrison Ford is still going strong and we’re happy to hear that he plans to continue acting for many years to come.
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READ MORE:
- Harrison Ford tears up after receiving surprise lifetime achievement award at Cannes: “You’ve given my life purpose”
- Tom Selleck was the original choice to play Indiana Jones in ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’
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- Harrison Ford sets the record straight after fans speculate on disorder: ‘I know who the f*** I am’
