Retiring Indiana Jones: Harrison Ford always wanted to see Indy in the last years of his life

SINGAPORE – After 40 years of playing the world’s most famous archaeologist, Harrison Ford is back to take Indiana Jones’ iconic hat and whip for one last ride.

The 80-year-old Hollywood star reprises his role in Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny – the fifth and final movie in the Indiana Jones film franchise that began in 1981 – to give the character a “splendid goodbye”.

The movie opens in Singapore cinemas on Thursday.

In an online press conference with questions collected from the global press, Ford – who last played the role in 2008’s Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull – says he always wanted to see Indy into the last years of his life, to show the “ravages of time” on his character.

The American actor says: “We’re entering a new phase of his life. And we’re seeing him after an absence of 15 years. He’s aged somewhat. He’s retiring. We meet him on the last day of his retirement from academic life, which has not been inspiring for him. So I think we meet him at a point where he’s at a low that we have not seen before.”

While the first movies of the franchise were set in the 1930s, Dial Of Destiny sees an aged and lonely Indy in 1969 – the year of the moon landing – when his days of adventure are long gone.

But he is unexpectedly swept back into action when his goddaughter Helena (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) shows up and invites him to search for an ancient dial.

English actress Waller-Bridge, 37, says Helena is just the right person to appear at such a juncture.

The star of comedy series Fleabag (2016 to 2019) explains: “He’s in a little bit of an emotional cul-de-sac. He’s now living in a time where the focus has shifted. People are looking to the future. People are looking to the moon. And there isn’t as much passion for what he is passionate about.

“When she comes in, she brings a passion for archaeology (and) adventure, and I think that lights him up again.”

Working on the final Indiana Jones film was an emotional and exciting experience for much of the cast and crew.

Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen, who plays a villainous Nazi scientist in the sequel, says he loved the movies as a teenager.

The 57-year-old, who also starred in Casino Royale (2006) and Rogue One (2016), jokes: “I’ve been lying in all the other interviews when I did (the) James Bond and Star Wars (movies). I always said I saw them, but I didn’t. But I grew up with this one.”

He recalls: “My brother (actor Lars Mikkelsen) always had a girlfriend who worked in a cinema somewhere, but he didn’t in this period, so we had to rent the film. We rented it with five other films and ended up watching Indiana Jones five times instead of the other ones. It’s true to say this shaped our generation.”

American director James Mangold, who co-wrote Dial Of Destiny, is among those influenced by the franchise.

It is the only film in the series to be helmed by someone other than veteran American film-makers Steven Spielberg and George Lucas.

Spielberg directed all four previous films while Lucas co-wrote the stories.

When asked how it felt to take the lead on the final film, Mangold, 59, says: “Thrilling, inspiring. One of the most attractive parts of jumping on board this endeavour was the company that I got to keep. I grew up admiring these movies, admiring Harrison, Steven, Kathleen Kennedy (president of Lucasfilm), George Lucas and John Williams (the franchise’s score composer). These are all people who shaped my love for film-making.”

Shepherding a beloved franchise to an end while satisfying old fans and attracting new ones is a tall order, but Mangold says his goal was simple: to make a good movie.

“I don’t sit down to make a movie thinking of what quadrants of the audience I’m going (to appeal to). Maybe I’m foolish, and maybe I’m the only one, but you just have to work on something that works. You have to make the car drive, and then you can try and think about whether the car is unappealing to some people. But you need it first to move,” he says.

While it is still too early to tell how the movie will perform at the box office, the end result is at least a fulfilling closure for Ford.

After braving Nazis, face-melting magic and aliens, Indy is finally hanging up his hat.

Calling Indiana Jones a “singular experience”, Ford – who has spent over half his life with the franchise – says he feels good about Indy’s last hurrah.

He says: “We’ve made a really satisfying film for the audience. We’ve taken our concern and our interest in the character, and tried to shape a story that would bring this character back into their lives with an interesting story. And I think given the people that we’ve involved in the character and the nature of the story that James has created for us, it’s a splendid goodbye.“

Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny opens in cinemas on Thursday.