Harrison Ford says he had most of the 'old man jokes' removed from the new Indiana Jones
Ageism is another “ism” in Hollywood that needs to go.
Harrison Ford on the red carpet at Celebrity Fight Night XXIII at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa in Phoenix, Arizona.
Harrison Ford, 80, is throwing on his leather jacket and fedora for one last time in “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” which is expected to hit theaters in June 2023. The film is about Indy’s lifelong foes, the Nazis, being involved with NASA at the height of the space race.
It’s been 15 years since Ford played Indy on the big screen in 2008’s “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.” In that film, Indy makes numerous quips about being in his mid-60s, noting that he’s still a professor but only “part-time,” and after a failed swing from his bullwhip, he admits his eyesight isn’t what it once was. “Damn, I thought that was closer!” he says.
His son, Mutt Williams, even overestimates his age, asking, “What are you, like, 80?” But now that he’s 80 in “Dial of Destiny,” there won’t be any old man jokes in the picture.
“Yeah. In [Dial of Destiny] there were a lot of old jokes in the script. We took them all out,” Ford told The Hollywood Reporter. “There is a moment where he observes himself in this situation and says, ‘What the f**k am I doing in here?’ But I hate what I call ‘talking about the story.’ I want to see circumstances in which the audience gets a chance to experience the story, not to be led through the nose with highlights pointed out to them. I’d rather create behavior that is the joke of age rather than talk about it."
The film's writer and director, James Mangold, said that the film reflects where Indy is currently in his life.
“The mistake you can make in movies is when someone is of a ripe age but the movie continues this charade that they’re not that old,” Mangold said. “Every challenge he faces is through the reality of what someone of that age would be dealing with.”
Ford’s decision to excise all the old man jokes in his last run as Indiana Jones is a blow to one of the oldest “isms” still prevalent in Hollywood: ageism. Older people are subject to all sorts of negative stereotypes, so it’s great that Ford—a man in incredible shape for his age—doesn’t want to promote them.
The notion that older people are bumbling, forgetful, out of touch and physically frail can have a very negative effect on their well-being.
“Ageism remains one of the most institutionalized forms of prejudice today,” Todd Nelson, Ph.D., professor of psychology at California State University, Stanislaus, told the Association of Health Care Journalists. “Our entire society tells older people, you are useless, unwanted, and a burden. It tells younger people that getting old is bad, and being old is worse.”
Further, everyone ages differently. To paint such a large swatch of humanity with the same brush reduces people to little more than a number. When in reality, age brings a host of qualities that younger people should wish to have such as experience, confidence and wisdom.
It’s wonderful that we get to see Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones in one final adventure, regardless of how old he happens to be. After all, as he famously told Marion Ravenwood in “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “It’s not the years” that matter, it’s the “mileage.”
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."
This article originally appeared in May.