Remembering Raiders Of The Lost Ark: The Making Of Indiana Jones
7. Filling That Famous Fedora
Spielberg
was the first to suggest casting Harrison Ford - the former carpenter George
Lucas had catapulted to international fame by casting him in first American
Graffiti and then Star Wars - as Indiana Jones. But Lucas, perturbed by the
prospect of his name becoming synonymous with Ford in a Martin Scorsese-Robert
De Niro fashion, insisted they look elsewhere for their front man.
That they did, considering the likes of Bill Murray, Tim Matheson, Steve Martin and Nick Nolte in their quest to find the right actor to embody Indy. Jeff Bridges is reported to have been one of the main contenders before Tom Selleck, then on the verge of fame as eponymous TV smoothie Magnum, P.I., was cast in the lead role.
When Selleck’s Magnum commitments left him unable to sign on for Raiders, Spielberg and Lucas found themselves without their principal cast member just three weeks before production was due to begin. Around this time, Spielberg saw a rough cut of Empire and again pointed out the obvious: Harrison Ford, as amply proven by his latest performance as Han Solo, was exactly what they were looking for.
Lucas relented and called Ford a couple of days later, and he in turn accepted the gig within hours of reading the Raiders script.