Re: How about Indy playing Indy? Well, why not....

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Posted by Michaelson from em12_686.utsi.edu on July 07, 1998 at 11:00:32:

In Reply to: How about Indy playing Indy? posted by Rob Roy on July 07, 1998 at 10:19:38:

: I've said it before and I'll say it again. The essence of any character exists within their traits, their mannerisms, their actions. Since a character on screen or in a book only comes to life when we read the words or watch an actor portray them, any portrayal of that character takes on the form of the person speaking or acting. Laurence Olivier as Hamlet. Mel Gibson as Hamlet. Bela Lugosi as Dracula. Gary Oldman as Dracula. Mom as the voice of The Little Engine That Could. Dad as the voice of The Little Engine That Could. It doesn't matter if one character depiction is better than another. Of course that's going to happen. But having different actors portray the same charcter gives us the equivalent of seeing the character from different and fresh angles. No one should feel their illusion is shattered because Harrison Ford isn't up on the screen. Thsi topic has come up quite a few times since I've been posting here. In fact my first post (Tarred and Feathered in vault 5) asked the question of who could play him. Every time I see it, no one is willing to give an answer. Everyone plays it safe by suggesting no one or SPF. I want some honest, well thought suggestions to Sandbagger's question. I've already posted mine.

Excellent points, though a few of your examples are of actors who cursed the day that they ever took some of those parts because they were type cast from that day on. Fortunately, Harrison Ford was not one of them. I don't personally think that it's been because folks are afraid to submit their ideas of WHO should follow Ford, or even IF someone should follow Ford as Indy. I think River Phoenix was great at emulating Ford's mannerisms from the earlier movies in Last Crusade. I guess the only drawback I find is that they are Ford's mannerisms, copying the features that Ford created from the Indy movies. Are we doing justice having a replacement of future Indy adventures just "copy" what was done before so we are comfortable with the character? As stated before regarding 007, each actor brought his own mannerism and style to the character, some better than others. I would like to see how other actors handle the part myself. If we stick strickly with Harrison Ford, this WILL be the last movie we'll see of any kind. Of course there are certain things that we'll still expect to see from the actor to portray Indiana, but at this time we're slowed with the problem of naming an alternate actor, and working that suggested actor in our minds as how they acted in OTHER parts, and comparing them to H. Ford's performances. Not exactly fair to the replacement. The only way to get away from that problem is to cast an unknown, and then how successful would that be? Tough assignment for anyone following in Ford's hugh footprints, but they can be filled I'm sure. Fortunately, according to recent developments we won't have to worry about this until the millinium, thank heavens. Regards. Michaelson

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