How Harrison Ford Beat the Odds to Become Indiana Jones After Almost Losing the Role
Harrison Ford Was Nearly Passed Over for Indiana Jones—Here’s How He Landed the Role (Photo Credit – Netflix)

Indiana Jones is the one who really changed everything for Harrison Ford. Most people point to Star Wars when they talk about his rise as he was the swaggering Han Solo after all, the one who made laser guns and sarcasm look easy. However, four years after stepping into the Millennium Falcon, Ford picked up a fedora and a whip and that is when things truly shifted.

Harrison Ford Chose Raiders Over Star Wars as His Career Turning Point

Ford, before Raiders, had popped up in smaller roles for Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas, basically background noise in films like The Conversation and American Graffiti. Then Lucas handed him a script and nudged him toward Steven Spielberg and that conversation led to Raiders of the Lost Ark. Eventually, Ford ended up with something more than a new role and got a legacy.

The funny thing is, Ford had already played Han twice before Indiana Jones came along but he never seemed quite as connected to Star Wars. While his feelings about that galaxy far away stayed mixed over the years, he has always had time for Indiana Jones.

Even if you ask him, he will call the archaeologist in the leather jacket the real turning point. Maybe it is because Indiana Jones was not a sidekick in someone else’s universe. He was the guy, front and center.

Harrison Ford Was Not the First Choice as Indiana Jones

According to Far Out Magazine, the Indiana Jones part was not handed to Ford right away. Lucas originally hesitated, worried about always being tied to Ford the way Scorsese was to De Niro. So he looked elsewhere and landed on Tom Selleck.

Selleck got the costume, the camera test, and everything in between but CBS locked him into more Magnum PI and the gig slipped away.

Spielberg, seeing the clock ticking down, brought up Ford’s name but Lucas was not sold right away as he thought Ford might not want to commit to another long contract after the whole Star Wars ride. Despite that, Spielberg pushed. He figured the worst Ford could do was turn it down. As a result, Lucas gave in and made the call and fortunately, Ford read the script and signed on without blinking. With that, Indiana Jones took his place in movie history, and Harrison Ford stepped fully into stardom.

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