Harrison Ford defends Indiana Jones de-ageing: 'It's not Photoshop'
The actor insisted it was important to the story.
Harrison Ford has defended the de-ageing in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, after it came under fire in some early reviews of the much-anticipated sequel.
The final entry in the long-running franchise finds the death-defying archaeologist on a mission to locate a mysterious dial known as the Antikythera, which he had first crossed paths with in his younger years.
For those flashback scenes, set in the 1940s, de-ageing technology was applied to Ford's face, but some viewers have claimed that it isn't entirely convincing.
Speaking at the Cannes Film Festival, Ford said: "The technology has evolved to the point where to me, [it] seems very realistic and I know that that is my face.
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"It’s not a kind of Photoshop magic. That’s what I looked like 35 years ago because Lucasfilm has every frame of film that we’ve made together over all of these years. And this process, this scientific mining of this library was put to good [use]."
The actor, who originated in the adventurer role back in 1981's Raiders of the Lost Ark, went on to assure that the use of de-ageing is not a gimmick, but rather an integral part of the tale being told.
Ford continued: “It’s just a trick unless it’s supported by a story and it sticks out like a sore thumb if it’s not honest, it’s not real… I mean, emotionally real. And so I think it was used very skilfully.”
He concluded by saying that he was content with being an older person and doesn't yearn for his youth back, adding that he was happy to still be working at almost 81 years old.
Read more:
- Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny review: An apt final journey for Indy
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“I’m real happy with age," added Ford. "I love being older. It was great to be young, but s**t fire, I could be dead, but I’m still working."
The actor recently earned acclaim for his performance in Yellowstone prequel 1923, which is returning for a second season, while he has also been cast in Marvel's upcoming team-up movie Thunderbolts.
The latter project sees him step into the role of General Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross, who had previously been portrayed by the late William Hurt.
If you're keen to see more of Ford, we'd also recommend the Apple TV Plus series Shrinking, in which he embraces both comedy and drama alongside Jason Segel (the pair both play therapists in the show).
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny on Friday 30th June 2023. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.
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Authors
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
