Chris Pratt Explains Why Harrison Ford Scared Him Away From Playing Indiana Jones
For a long time, Chris Pratt was rumored to play Indiana Jones in the franchise after Harrison Ford. However, the franchise is still moving forward with Ford, and rumors of Pratt swinging in have largely died down. In a new interview, Chris Pratt addresses the Indiana Jones rumors and explains why a quote from Harrison Ford scared him away from the role.
Chris Pratt was rumored to replace Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones
Harrison Ford debuted as Indiana Jones in 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark. The actor then played the character for three more sequels and is set to return as the character in Indiana Jones 5, directed by James Mangold. Indiana Jones 5 has been in development for a while and it wasn’t clear whether Ford would return in the role as the actor is much older and recently turned 80.
A rumor began circulating that Chris Pratt would be taking over the role of Indiana Jones from Ford in future movies. However, once Ford’s return was confirmed, these rumors died down. Pratt has become an action star himself, with lead roles in movies like Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World. Still, no one can compare to Ford as Indy, which could be why he wasn’t recast.
Pratt explains why he was scared away from playing Indiana Jones
In an interview on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Chris Pratt was asked if he ever had a conversation with director Steven Spielberg about becoming Indiana Jones. The actor gives a humorous response, faking like he didn’t know who Spielberg was. He then shares an old quote from Harrison Ford that he says scared him away from playing the character.
“Aren’t they doing Indiana Jones with Harrison Ford?” Pratt said. “All I know is I once saw a quote from Harrison Ford – and I don’t know if it was really him – but it was enough to scare me. He was like, ‘When I die, Indiana Jones dies.’ And I’m like, ‘Am I gonna get haunted by the ghost of Harrison Ford one day when he dies if I play…?’ That’s [the recasting rumors] not anything that’s real.”
The sentiments of Ford are shared by Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy who said that they would never make an Indiana Jones movie without Ford. It doesn’t seem like anybody else will play Indy, even after Ford retires and this might be for the better.
Pratt still has many more projects on the way
Don’t feel too bad that Chris Pratt isn’t playing Indiana Jones as he is currently having a solid 2022 as he is a part of two major movies: Jurassic World Dominion and Thor: Love and Thunder. He also starred in The Terminal List series on Amazon Prime Video.
His upcoming projects include two major voice performances. Pratt is making his debut in Nintendo and Illumination’s Super Mario Bros. movie where he is voicing Mario himself. He is also going to voice Garfield in an animated Garfield movie. Additionally, he is returning as Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.
Harrison Ford will return in Indiana Jones 5 which arrives in theaters on June 30, 2023.
