By now, most Indiana Jones fans know that Harrison Ford wasn’t the original choice to play everyone’s favorite adventurous archeologist. The role was originally meant for Blue Blood’s Tom Selleck. Ford has shared the story multiple times but to my knowledge has never given Selleck a shout-out publicly… until recently.
The Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny star was promoting the latest film in the franchise when he chose to acknowledge Selleck at the Taormina Film Festival in Italy. While the Three Men and a Baby star had to drop out due to his Magnum P.I. schedule, Ford was the (next) obvious choice, having worked with George Lucas on the Star Wars franchise. Years after scoring the Indiana Jones role, the Oscar nominee finally thanked Tom Selleck for letting the part go in a panel (via Deadline).
How I got the job? Tom Selleck had the job, but he also incurred an obligation to do a television series and he was unable to get out of that contract. I became the ‘second’ choice, and I’m very grateful for Tom. Thank you, Tom, man. If you’re listening, thank you again.
Harrison Ford seemed genuinely thankful that Tom Selleck was too busy to tackle the Indy role, which makes sense, given how significant the character is in cinematic history. After playing Han Solo for multiple years, Ford had a few hits and misses in the intermediate, including Apocalypse Now and The Frisco Kid. So, getting another franchise role was the right fit at the time. Of course, he made the role his own, but I'm happy to see him shout out the actor who almost was, here.
With the first choice now off the table, Ford mentioned he got called up to play the beloved role. The Indy actor revealed how he got notified about getting the role after Selleck turned it down.
I got a call from George Lucas. He said, ‘I’m gonna send a script up to your house.’ ‘Oh really? OK.’ ‘I want you to read it right away. I want you to read it in an hour.’ ‘Uh, OK, I’ll read it in an hour.’ I sat down, I read it in an hour. He said, ‘I want you to go over to Steven Spielberg’s house and talk to him.’ I went over to Spielberg’s house – I’d never met Steven Spielberg before – and I guess about an hour later I had the job.
George Lucas and Steven Spielberg wasted no time slotting Ford right into the iconic role. Becoming Indiana Jones wasn’t easy as he was Spielberg’s first choice, but not necessarily Lucas'. The Star Wars impresario’s apprehension made sense, having worked with the Hollywood A-lister on multiple movies since American Graffiti.
The Blade Runner star has spoken ill about some of Lucas' other projects in the past, though he has always credited the latter for his career. These days, fans might have trouble envisioning anyone else -- much less Tom Selleck -- trekking across different continents hunting down mysterious treasures. Ford took the role and ran with it, raking in millions at the worldwide box office across multiple movies over four decades.
Moviegoers will get to see Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones again when Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny hits the 2023 movie schedule on June 30. Before the latest installment appears in cinemas, watch the first four Indiana Jones adventures by streaming them through Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video.
