MovieChat Forums > Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) Discussion > If not Harrison Ford (or Tom Selleck), w...

If not Harrison Ford (or Tom Selleck), who would you have picked to play Indy?


I did not realize the amount of actors whose names were being mentioned in regards to being cast as Indy. I feel like pretty much every admirer of this film knows that Tom Selleck was originally going to be Indy before Ford was chosen.
If you were tasked with casting an actor to play Indy, who would you have narrowed it down to/chosen?
(during the early 80s, not modern day)

For me, my definite choice would have been Sam Elliott. I did not know until very recently that his name was brought up as a choice to play Indy. Much like Ford, Sam Elliott is the type of actor who has a genuine element old school of grit/gumption in addition to being well-spoken and deeply articulate. A perfect balance and combination of brains and balls: the professor side mixed with the undaunted adventurer side.

Thoughts?

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Robert Redford
Clint Eastwood
Kevin Costner
Michael Douglas (ended up playing a similar character in Romancing The Stone)
Patrick Swayze

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Kris Kristofferson.

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Charlie Martin Smith.

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burt reynolds probably could have done a great job.

if they were maybe a decade younger, kurt russell and mel gibson would've been excellent choices, especially russell.

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This is a tough one since Harrison Ford is obviously perfect for the role, but I might go with Sam Neill, who somewhat channelled Indiana Jones (adventurer/scholar) in Jurassic Park.

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Someone Jewish

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Dunno, hard to picture someone else than Ford, maybe Kurt Russell, Jeff Bridges, or Michael Douglas. Again Ford is Indy like how Robert Downey Jr is Iron Man, Sylvester Stallone is Rocky, Chris Hemsworth is Thor, or Arnold Schwarzenegger is the Terminator

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I would have liked to see John Candy in the role. We would have gotten slightly more humor

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Jackie Gleason

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