Harrison Ford Was Nearly Passed Over for Indiana Jones—Here’s How He Landed the Role (Photo Credit – Netflix)

Advertisement

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.