Train of Thought. If Harrison Ford can star in an action flick at 79...
Wednesday, June 23, 2021 at 8:00PM by Nathaniel R
You've probably heard the report that 78 year old Harrison Ford has suffered a shoulder injury prepping for a scene in the as yet untitled Indiana Jones 5. We've already heard his age mentioned in a joking manner around the web but we're not going to join in the ageism of that. We would just like to point out that if Harrison Ford is going to do this at 79 (his birthday is in a couple of weeks) why can't actresses get action roles at that age? Well, okay, they let Helen Mirren do it a couple of times but we can never have enough actressy action and James Cameron takes decades off between movies.
Herewith a list of women who are similar age to Harrison Ford who we'd love to see in an action flick. Sorry not sorry...
- Joanna Cassidy (75) still popping up on TV and always fun to watch. Plus she has classic Harrions Ford sci-fi on her resume already
- Goldie Hawn (75) nobody wants The Christmas Chronicles to be her last film!
- Jacqueline Bissett (76) still gorgeous. Why not a comeback?
- Wai Ching Ho (77) already proved she could do action scenes with aplomb in Daredevil
- Blythe Danner (78) you know she's versatile with genre
- Leslie Uggams (78) because that bit in the Deadpool franchise is not enough
- Holland Taylor (78) still so fabulous and funny. Plus authoritative!
- Faye Dunaway (80) she has rage she needs to work out
- Tina Turner (81) somebody coax her out of retirement with a role as good as "Auntie Entity" again
- Jane Fonda (83) still has the body and fierceness for it!
Just thinking out loud.
Reader Comments (8)
Love the idea! Why not team some of them up, say Goldie, Jane, Jackie and Faye, sort of a revenge of the 70's box office queens!
Sadly Tina Turner would be out. She's publicly announced that she's too ill to do much of anything but enjoy the time she has left with her family out of the spotlight.
I don’t think the issue is ageism. After all, octogenarian Anthony Hopkins just won a highly competitive Best Actor Oscar for magnificent work.
I would argue that too many folks equate thin with fit. As we age, some lose muscle mass and look amazing in an obese society. That doesn’t mean they have the strength or stamina for an arduous shoot.
I would argue that senior citizens look ludicrous on screen battling younger, stronger opponents. Has anyone bothered to watch more recent Jackie Chan flicks? The fight scenes are dependent on edits and cutaways in an unsuccessful attempt to mask the actor’s obvious physical deficiencies when squaring off against men 40 years younger.
I would argue that the silver screen relies on faces. Too many of these action stars of yesteryear have been nipped and tucked to serve only as a hint of how they once looked.
Despite reports of his on set shoulder injury, I am hopeful that the makers of Indy 5 will build a story where the suspension of disbelief relies on the famed archaeologist’s keen intellect and rapier wit and far less on the daring do.
Holland Taylor certainly has the makings of a great villain. Recently she seemed to get the roles that Jessica Walters passed on but she can be magnetic- see her great turn as Texas governor Ann Richards. That charisma could be turned into an imposing figure if she was given the right role. Apparently Ryan Murphy is trying to make a project with her. Maybe an Emmy is in the future?
Tom G - she was Jessica Walter, not Walters.
Why does Spielberg insist on Indiana Jones? Why doesn't he create another character?
We need Charlotte Rampling to lead an action juggernaut.
I was SO EXCITED when Jenny Agutter, then in her early 60s, started kicking ass in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and then crushed when it turned out to be ScarJo in disguise. No knock to Johanssen, but to have an underappreciated character actress AND a woman 60+ get to kick some ass would have been fantastic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JlySl0Z6cQ
I really liked Blade Runner 2049, way more than I thought I would. The only part that took me out of it was when Harrison Ford could knock people out in one punch and take multiple punches without getting phased, while Ryan Gosling couldn't do either. I'm assuming HF had something in his contract about this, but this hyper-machismo invulnerability detracted from the film, not added to it.
James -- yeah that was fun with Jenny Agutter for a minute.