Harrison Ford is synonymous with the role of Indiana Jones, but the 80-year-old is revealing he wasn’t the original man chosen to don the iconic hat, leather jacket, and whip of the beloved character.
While promoting the franchises fifth installment, “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” Ford described how he got the role.
“How I got the job? Tom Selleck had the job, but he also incurred an obligation to do a television series, and he was unable to get out of that contract,” he shared with Deadline.
“I became the second choice, and I’m very grateful for Tom,” he said. “Thank you, Tom, man. If you’re listening, thank you again.”
Harrison Ford thanked Tom Selleck for rejecting the role of Indiana Jones. (CBS)
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Ford said his “Star Wars” collaborator, George Lucas, called him, insisting Ford read a script he was sending to his house. Lucas is responsibile for creating both the “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones” franchises.
“‘I want you to read it right away,'” Ford remembers Lucas telling him over the phone. “I want you to read it in an hour.’”
George Lucas, who created both the “Indiana Jones” and “Star Wars” franchises, called Harrison Ford, telling him to read the first “Indiana Jones” script. (Gerardo Mora/Getty Images for Disney)
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“I sat down, I read it in an hour, and then he said, ‘I want you to go over to Steven Spielberg’s house and talk to him,'” the actor detailed of Lucas’ request. “I went over to Steven Spielberg’s house — never met Steven Spielberg before — I guess about an hour later I had the job.”
Spielberg and Ford would work together on the first four movies of the franchise.
Steven Spielberg directed the first four “Indiana Jones” movies. (Dominique Charriau/WireImage)
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In an old interview given to Empire magazine, Lucas previously shared his qualms with casting Ford.
“I was wary of Harrison and I becoming like [Martin] Scorsese and [Robert] De Niro. I thought, ‘Let’s create a new icon.’ We found Tom Selleck, but as soon as the network heard, his option on ‘Magnum P.I.’ got picked up,” he said.
Tom Selleck could not get out of his contract as Tom Magnum in “Magnum P.I.” when “Indiana Jones” was being made. (Paramount Pictures/CBS Photo Archive)
A representative for Selleck did not immediately respond to Fox New Digital’s request for comment.
The 78-year-old actor played Tom Magnum in “Magnum P.I.” beginning in 1980.
“Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark,” the first movie from the franchise, premiered in 1981.