Indiana Jones Star Harrison Ford Explains Why He Doesn't Call Characters Heroes

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny star Harrison Ford says that he never calls his characters heroes. In a new interview with EW, the actor explained why he feels that way. He's been Indiana Jones for a long time, and a host of other beloved characters at the cinema. But, why not call them heroes? Well, for Ford, it comes down to how the audience perceives it. When he's playing these people on-screen, he wants normal people to believe they're capable of "heroism" in the right circumstances too. It's not something that you're born with that makes you special. Rather, it's the ability to exist in a situation that's scary or threatening and do the right thing in spite of that danger. It's a pretty thoughtful way to consider any of his filmography.

"I don't use the word hero at all, because I think it starts us off in the wrong direction," Harrison Ford told the outlet. "For years and years and years, I've been saying I want to play an ordinary person [in] extraordinary circumstances, who happens to behave well for the benefit of others."

Harrison Ford's Feelings About Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is pretty much Harrison Ford's swan song as the character. In a sit-down with Digital Spy, he said that he enjoyed the movie and how they came to this place organically. It feels like both director James Mangold and Ford both agreed on how to send the character off right.

"Well, it wasn't as though we sat around for ten years waiting to come up with an idea," Ford began. "When we finished the last film, I don't think anybody thought about going and doing another film for some time." Ford revealed "there were some interesting ideas that were floated" for a fifth movie, but they "didn't quite gel over a period of time."

"And then we found an idea, and a script, and a strong story that we wanted to tell," Ford said of how happy he was with Dial of Destiny's story. "We're coming to the end of Indiana Jones's time on the planet, and I wanted to see a conclusion of his story that accommodated the reality of his age, and what that effect has on this person that we've come to know over the years."

Harrison Ford's Hopes For Indiana Jones 5

At the moment, with no other projects on the horizon in this franchise, Ford seems content with what they've put out. Reviews have been mostly positive. But, there's no way to know how theater-goers will react until its out in the wild. Check out what he had to say right here.

"The feeling I had is the feeling you have when you've made something, and you can look at it, or you can remember having made it, the satisfaction of putting work in, and getting something worthy out of it," Ford elaborated. He also mentioned that this story has "concluded in a way that really felt satisfying to me… It is my hope that others find it as satisfying as I did."

How Will Indy End?

The iconic Harrison Ford returns for one last adventure when Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny premieres in theaters on June 30th. Lucasfilm's latest film in the long-running franchise sees Dr. Jones team up with his goddaughter Helena Shaw (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) in a race against nefarious forces to secure a powerful artifact. The duo will go up against the mysterious former Nazi-turned-NASA scientist Jürgen Voller (Mads Mikkelsen), and the film also features stars Boyd Holbrook, Antonio Banderas, Toby Jones, and John Rhys Davies. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is directed by James Mangold and is set to be Ford's final appearance as the iconic archeologist.

Do you think of Indy as a hero? Let us know down in the comments!