Indiana Jones: From Steven Spielberg Calling Amrish Puri The Greatest Villain To Harrison Ford & Sean Connery Filming Without Pants, Check Out Some Lesser Known Facts
Harrison Ford wasn’t the first choice for the film!
Remember Amrish Puri In Indiana Jones? Check Out These Lesser Known Facts From This Steven Spielberg Film
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Last year it was reported that Harrison Ford will return as our beloved Indy in the fifth installment of the Indiana Jones franchise that is slated to release in July 2022. While it’s sad that the revered filmmaker Steven Spielberg won’t be directing Indiana Jones 5, the fans are still excited to know what adventure Dr. Henry Walton Jones, Jr. will embark on in the new version of the film.
Even as we await for some more developments on the same, here’s sharing with you some interesting trivia on the franchise which first began in 1981 with Raiders of the Lost Ark. It was followed by Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom in 1984, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade in 1989 and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which had released in 2008.
Take a look:
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Harrison Ford wasn’t the first choice!
After four hugely popular Indiana Jones films it is impossible to imagine anyone else except Harrison Ford as the titular character. However, did you know he wasn’t really the first choice to play the part? Apparently, Spielberg’s first choice to play Indy was American actor-director Peter Coyote. However, reportedly the latter couldn’t make the final cut as the studio didn’t consider him to be a box-office draw.
Actors Paul Le Mat, Christopher Guest, Bruce Boxleitner, Barry Bostwick, Sam Elliott, Mark Harmon, Nick Mancuso, John Calvin, Michael Biehn, Sam Shepard, David Hasselhoff and Tom Selleck were also considered for the part, before Harrison Ford was brought onboard three weeks before the principal photography for the film began.
Shooting isn’t a cake walk
Remember the popular snake scene inside the Well of the Souls in Raiders of the Lost Ark? According to IMDB, while shooting for the scene a python had bit first assistant director David Tomblin’s hand, and didn’t let go. He sought help from a fellow crew member who grabbed the snake by the tail and whipped it, which forced the python to let go of Tomblin’s hand. The latter soon got medical attention, however, that’s one brave AD we must admit.
Steven Spielberg’s praise for Amrish Puri
Spielberg has earlier admitted that Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom is his least favourite film from the franchise, but he surely was a lot impressed with the movie’s villain Amrish Puri who played Mola Ram. While speaking to Koimoi earlier, Puri’s grandson Vardhan had revealed that the filmmaker had auditioned actors from around the world to play the main antagonist however couldn’t find anyone who would fit the part. Which is when one of Spielberg’s casting directors suggested the Koyla actor’s name, and that’s how Amrish Puri got his Hollywood movie.
“He called my grandfather that he would love to test him for this. My grandfather was doing so much work at that time that he wasn’t able to go anywhere to audition outside of the country. He was doing 2-3 shifts a day. For the first time in the history of any film of this magnitude and scale, the whole team came to Mumbai and auditioned him. They finished the audition and locked him right there for the character. That’s how he actually got signed for the film. Steven Spielberg had spoken to my grandfather post that and he had written a letter which is quite popular. In the letter, he wrote that ‘Mr Amrish Puri will always be the greatest villain in the world and nothing can change that’. He also told my grandfather that he is only the person for whom he flew to another country to audition. That’s how he badly needed him in the film and no one else could’ve played the character,” Vardhan revealed. Well, we can’t agree more, as there is literally no one like our very own Mogambo. Isn’t it?
No pants for Harrison Ford and Sean Connery
One of the best parts about Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is Harrison Ford and Sean Connery’s (who played Indy’s father) endearing chemistry. And it seems the duo got along well off-screen too. Reportedly while filming for a conversational scene on a German zeppelin, excessive heat on the set forced Connery to remove his pants to make himself comfortable. Interestingly, Ford decided to give his onscreen father company and the duo shot the scene ‘pantless’.
A tribute to Star Wars
In the last installment of the franchise, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Harrison Ford’s Indy does not mouth his signature phrase “Trust me”, but instead pays a homage to Star Wars films in which he played Han Solo. At one point in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Jones says “I’ve got a bad feeling about this”, which is a line frequently used by Star Wars characters. Can there be a crossover with these two franchises? Well, only time will tell.
Do you know any more interesting trivia from the Indiana Jones series? Do let us know in the comment section below.
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