When Harrison Ford started shooting Raiders of the Lost Ark, the first Indiana Jones movie, in late June of 1980, he was just about to turn 38 years old. Flash-forward to Indiana Jones 5’s principal photography, Ford was 79 years old during most of that period. However, according to Mads Mikkelsen, one of his costars on the upcoming movie, Ford is still a beast at his older age, as evidenced by the crazy workout Mikkelsen saw him do following a night shoot.
Mads Mikkelsen talked a little bit about his experience on Indiana Jones 5 while chatting with THR about his latest movie, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, which sees him taking over the role of Gellert Grindelwald from Johnny Depp. Naturally Mikkelsen wasn’t willing to divulge any details about Indiana Jones 5’s plot, but he did commend Harrison Ford’s physicality when asked how the actor was holding up after it was reported he injured his shoulder on set:
It was the first time I met him, and he’s an insanely powerful person. Not just as an actor, but physically. I remember the first day we were shooting, it was a night shoot, then we stopped at 5 a.m. — and then he got on his mountain bike and went biking for 50 kilometers [31 miles]. Harrison is a monster of a man, a very nice monster.
It was reported in late June 2021 that Harrison Ford injured his shoulder while rehearsing a fight scene for Indiana Jones 5, prompting Disney to put out a statement saying that production would continue while “the appropriate course of treatment” was evaluated. However, by the following November, Indiana Jones 5 director James Mangold said that production was still running smoothly, indicating that Ford’s shoulder injury may not have been as big a deal as we were led to believe. Now we have Mads Mikkelsen’s latest comment to absorb, with the Casino Royale actor having seen the “monster” Ford going on a hardcore bike ride after he’d finished an all-night shoot on Indiana Jones 5.
With Harrison Ford on the precipice of becoming an octogenarian, one wouldn’t fault him if he’d wanted to not only call it quits on action roles, but also just take it easy in everyday life. Instead, he’s not slowing down in these advanced years and won’t let any injuries stop him, including when a door fell on his leg during the making of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. With Indiana Jones 5 likely being his last outing as Dr. Henry Jones Jr., it’s good to know Ford’s power was on display both physically and as a performer.
As for Mads Mikkelsen, he was revealed to be joining Indiana Jones 5 back in April 2021. We don’t officially know who he’s playing yet, but rumor has it Mikkelsen’s character is the main villain, a scientist who used to work for the Nazi regime and has been recruited to aid the United States with its moon landing initiative in the 1960s. The Indiana Jones 5 cast also includes Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Thomas Kretschmann, Boyd Holbrook, Shaunette Renée Wilson, Toby Jones, Antonio Banderas and Olivier Richters. As already noted, James Mangold took over directorial duties from Steven Spielberg, as well as worked on the script with Jez Butterworth and John-Henry Butterworth.
Indiana Jones 5 arrives in theaters on June 30, 2023. You can also look forward to Harrison Ford taking on his first starring TV role in Apple TV+’s Shrinking, where he’ll play the mentor to Jason Segel’s character.
