LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Filmmaker James Mangold recently opened up about working with Harrison Ford in the latter’s final stint as the titular character of ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny'. He explained how the veteran actor stands out in his craft, becoming one of the most beloved and finest actors in Hollywood.
Speaking to Collider, Mangold shared that Ford “loves a dialogue with his director,” similar to some of the other greatest actors he has worked with in the past. The ‘Logan’ creator also shared that one of the abilities that makes Ford “unique” is that he is “always looking to undermine the tropes of a scene.” ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ premiered at the 76th Cannes Film Festival out-of-competition and received a five-minute standing ovation. It is scheduled to be theatrically released across the US on June 30.
‘He’s always looking at how he can play against the text’
In his interview, Mangold revealed how having one-on-one conversations with the director is a common habit practiced by some of the most prominent actors in Hollywood. “You know, it's interesting, most of the great actors I've worked with, really superlative actors, love to have a dialogue with the director,” he told Collider. “I mean, a long time ago, my second movie I made with Robert De Niro and he said to me, ‘I need a director. Talk to me.’ He goes, ‘I don't work with young directors much because they just don't say much.’ He goes, ‘I need this dialogue,’ and we became friends in the weeks before we made the movie just so I understood, and I think he wanted me to be able to kind of communicate with him,” Mangold continued.
“I found that true whether it’s Russell Crowe or Christian Bale or Harrison Ford or Angelina Jolie or Winona Ryder, you could go on and on,” he added. Mangold shared that while making the fifth ‘Indiana Jones’ installment, he often found himself as an audience of Ford’s performance, including his ideas and improvisations. “The reality for me is that the give and take with the director – actually, I'm the only audience, really, they have. So in a sense, that push and pull a singer-songwriter or a live performer might have with an audience, I'm kind of responsible for bringing whatever that response is, not just intellectual, but also energy, you know? And I feel that,” he said.
“Harrison, in particular, one of the unique aspects of him that I think is really interesting is that he's always looking to undermine the tropes of a scene. He's always looking at how he can play against the text or play against the grain a little bit. It's where all these great moments happen with Indiana Jones that you can't quite identify exactly what's going on, but it's him,” Mangold shared while explaining how Ford managed to weave parts of himself into the character of Indiana Jones.
‘It feels absurd and feels odd, but also feels like Indy’
Mangold noted how Ford went the extra mile for 'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ by recalling one exchange Indy had with Mads Mikkelsen’s character. “You know, in our movie, there's this moment where he punches Mads Mikkelsen in the very beginning, first reel of the picture. In the script, it's just, ‘He opens the door, Mads is there, he clocks him.’ But Harrison goes, ‘What if I tried something like this?’ And he takes off his hat, puts it in front of Mad's face, and then punches him through the hat,” the director told the publication.
“There's no rational reason to do that. There's no audience watching to Indy's actual awareness, although there is, of course. He's trying to survive on a train. There's no need to put a felt hat between him and the punch, but it looks great, and it feels absurd and feels odd, but also feels like Indy,” he continued. “I can't explain it, but he's always looking for these moments where he can undermine or manipulate for our enjoyment, the kind of pure heroism and turn it into something more human,” he concluded.
