Harrison Ford Thanks Tom Selleck for Turning Down Indiana Jones Role Over 4 Decades Ago. Tommy McArdle is an editorial assistant on the Movies team at PEOPLE. Tommy joined PEOPLE in 2022. Harrison Ford knows he owes one of his career-defining roles to Tom Selleck.

Who was the original choice to play Indiana Jones?

Before there was Harrison Ford, there was Tom Selleck. “Three Men and a Baby” alum Selleck, 78, was the first choice to play Indiana Jones in 1981's “Raiders of the Lost Ark.”

Why did Tom Selleck turned down Indiana Jones?

Tom Selleck turned down Raiders of the Lost Ark. So he starred in High Road to China '83 instead.

What actor turned down Forrest Gump?

So, why did Chappelle turn it down? He explains in an old comedy set that he did not want to portray certain racial stereotypes that he believed would propel his career in the wrong direction (via Looper).

Why did Spielberg step down from Indiana Jones?

Steven Spielberg's absence as the director of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny marks the end of an era for the beloved franchise. The decision for Spielberg to step back was his own, as he wanted to pass on the reins to a new generation of filmmakers.

INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY (2023) Behind-the-Scenes Crafting Indy

Why did Sean Connery not do Indiana Jones?

“I spoke with Spielberg, but it didn't work out,” Connery said in the 2007 interview. “It was not that generous a part, worth getting back into the harness and go for. And they had taken the story in a different line anyway, so the father of Indy was kind of really not that important.

Why is Shia LaBeouf not in the new Indiana Jones movie?

It may not have been a surprise to diehard fans that LaBeouf, now 37, was not invited to return after he criticized his installment of the franchise in a 2010 interview with the Los Angeles Times. “I feel like I dropped the ball on the legacy that people loved and cherished,” LaBeouf said at the time.

Who turned down the role of Forrest Gump before Tom Hanks?

The classic role of Forrest Gump was initially offered to John Travolta. He declined the part and has since openly admitted that passing on the role was one of the biggest mistakes of his career.

What movie did Harrison Ford turn down?

It seems Ford turned down the role of Oskar Schindler in Spielberg's Schindler's List. (Ford reportedly felt a non-Jewish actor should be cast.) It seems SpiElberg had no regrets, later praising Liam Neeson's portrayal: “He had the charisma, just existing there without doing very much.

What movies did James Caan turn down?

During Caan's peak years of stardom, he rejected a series of starring roles that proved to be successes for other actors, in films including M*A*S*H, The French Connection, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Kramer vs. Kramer ("it was such middle class bourgeois baloney"), Apocalypse ...

Did Harrison Ford love Indiana Jones?

While it may be hard to imagine Ford being able to so easily favor one iconic film character over the other, his confessions to various sources confirm his loyalties lie with the thrill-seeking adventurer, Dr. Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones.

Who almost was cast as Indiana Jones?

How old was Sean Connery in Indiana Jones?

In "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," Sean Connery played Harrison Ford's father. When the film was released in May 1986, Connery was 58 and Ford was 46, leaving a mere 12-year gap between the on-screen father and son.

Who else was considered for Han Solo?

With Pacino out of the picture, a number of actors screen-tested for the role, including Kurt Russell, Perry King, Christopher Walken, and Burt Reynolds. Lucasfilm has even released footage of some of those tests, but an unlikely actor won the part: Harrison Ford.

Why was Indiana Jones controversial?

Despite all their fun and flamboyant action sequences, the Indiana Jones franchise isn't without its more problematic elements. Temple of Doom was criticized for its downright racism, even in the '80s, and Indiana Jones as a character would not be looked upon fondly in modern academia for his literal theft.

Who was the real life Indiana Jones story?

Henry Walton “Indiana” Jones—the fictional adventurer, explorer, hunky professor, and intrepid archeologist—is almost certainly based on a real person: naturalist and palaeontologist Roy Chapman Andrews. Or as Sara Appelbee calls him, “Granddad.”

Why did Harrison Ford turned down Jurassic Park?

According to Slash Film, in a conversation between the actor and director, Ford blamed Spielberg for only casting him in Indy movies. But Spielberg quickly reminded the actor that he was the one who turned down Jurassic Park.

What roles did John Travolta turned down?

Why did Harrison Ford drop out of the staircase?

And at first, they thought they'd found their answer in none other than Harrison Ford. "We originally had been to Harrison Ford," Campos says. "But we parted ways because he had to go do an Indiana Jones."

What roles did Michelle Pfeiffer turn down?

Back in 2019, Pfeiffer opened up about various films that she has turned down over the years — including Pretty Woman, Basic Instinct and Thelma and Louise — during an interview on the Today show.

Did Tom Hanks like doing Forrest Gump?

For Tom Hanks, making Forrest Gump was similar to a box of chocolates — he didn't know what he was going to get. At the New Yorker Live event on Tuesday night at Symphony Space in New York City, the 66-year-old actor recalled to editor David Remnick that he had some doubts while making the iconic 1994 movie.

Did Tom Hanks pay for Forrest Gump?

Tom Hanks paid for part of the production costs for 'Forrest Gump' out of his own pocket. The 'Castaway' actor has revealed he helped pay for his titular character's expensive trip across the country after the director of the 1994 flick, Robert Zemeckis, asked him to split the costs with him.

What movie is the Indiana Jones ripoff?

1 King Solomon's Mines (1985)

It inspired several film adaptations in the 20th century - including the Indiana Jones trilogy. At the same time, beginning in 1985's King Solomon's Mines, Quatermain's overall look and characterization has been based on Indiana Jones.

Will there be a Mutt in Indiana Jones 5?

Mutt does not appear in the new (and final) film, this June's "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" — but Indiana does explain what happened to his son and why he's not around.

Why is Karen Allen not in Indiana Jones 5?

Allen revealed that when Steven Spielberg, the director of all the previous Indiana Jones films, was still attached to direct the fifth one, “Marion was much more involved in the story.” Then, when Spielberg stepped down and relinquished the director's chair to James Mangold, the script was rewritten virtually from ...