Harrison Ford has embodied some iconic characters, most notably Indiana Jones and Han Solo from the Star Wars franchise. Both characters have remained iconic in cinematic history, with Han Solo’s galactic adventures aboard the Millennium Falcon to the archeologist’s perilous quests to uncover ancient artifacts.
While opinions may vary from person to person, the actor has made his preference towards the adventurous archeologist very clear on numerous occasions, arguing that he finds Dr. Henry Walton ‘Indiana’ Jones much more interesting than the daring pilot.
Harrison Ford Finds Indiana Jones More Interesting Than Han Solo
During the release of Star Wars: Episode VII, a film where his tenure as Han Solo came to an end, Harrison Ford shared his thoughts on his iconic Star Wars character and Indiana Jones.
And unlike Han Solo, who served as a secondary character in the Skywalker Saga, the actor shared his appreciation for the complexity and depth of the adventurous archaeologist from the action-adventure franchise.
“He’s got a good heart, but I think he’s certainly a much less interesting character than Indiana Jones,” Ford told Entertainment Weekly while talking about Han Solo. He further stated,
The breadth of his story utility was never extensive. He was the foil between the other more compelling elements of the film, between the sage old warrior and the young hero. There’s not much breadth of character to explore beyond what we got out of him.
Many fans strongly agree with Ford’s take on the character. “The honest truth is that Han Solo isn’t very interesting at all,” one fan said on Reddit, arguing that the character lacks depth.
“It is why Solo didn’t do numbers,” they further said, emphasizing that the character’s appeal is primarily tied to Ford’s performance rather than inherent character depth. Starring Alden Ehrenreich, the prequel following Han Solo was the first box-office failure of the franchise, despite receiving positive reviews.
Harrison Ford’s Varied Farewells to His Iconic Characters
Indiana Jones has been a character that has always remained endeared to Harrison Ford, as the actor himself has shared. “It has been a singular experience that, somehow, [I] don’t put it in the same category with other films,” he said.
He further elaborated, as per Yahoo Entertainment,
It doesn’t feel different, but it feels good because of the shape of this goodbye — We’ve taken our concern, our interest in the character, and tried to shape a story that would bring this character back into their lives with an interesting story.
Ford said his goodbyes to his beloved characters in Dial of Destiny. He has shared that they put in significant efforts to meticulously craft a compelling narrative for his final film in the franchise, aiming to make it meaningful.
However, as for Han Solo, he has been asking the makers to kill off the character for years. And he eventually met his demise in The Force Awakens, where his fallen son slays the character.
Although opinions may differ, with many finding it hard to the reasons for the actor’s preferences, Ford has embraced and prioritized his role as Indiana Jones more than his role as Han Solo in Star Wars.
Indiana Jones and Star Wars films are available to stream on Disney+.
