Screen legend Harrison Ford is something of a latecomer to the world of Marvel, and superheroes in general. He has played some of the most iconic characters of all time on screen, but it took him until the latest phase of the MCU to jump aboard the tights and capes train.
In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, the 82-year-old spoke about him coming aboard the Marvel Cinematic Universe, replacing the late John Hurt, as Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross in Captain America: Brave New World.
He said he is pleased to be a part of it and doesn’t agree with actors who seem to go out of their way to avoid things like the MCU:
“I mean, this is the Marvel universe and I’m just there on a weekend pass. I’m a sailor new to this town. I understand the appeal of other kinds of films besides the kind we made in the ’80s and ’90s.
I don’t have anything general to say about it. It’s the condition our condition is in, and things change and morph and go on. We’re silly if we sit around regretting the change and don’t participate.
I’m participating in a new part of the business that, for me at least, I think is really producing some good experiences for an audience. I enjoy that.”
So Ford doesn’t agree that superhero cinematic universes have helped end the era of Hollywood mega-movie stars?
“Oh, I think it’s rubbish. I don’t think the question is whether or not there are any movie stars. There’s wonderful actors coming up every day. Whether or not they become movie stars is really not the point.
Easy for him to say, as he is one of the few real old school, matinee idol-like figures for the screen left standing, right?
If movies need stars, they will find them. I’ve never f—ing understood being a movie star. I’m an actor. I tell stories. I’m part of a group of people who work together, collaborate on telling stories. I’m an assistant storyteller. That’s what I am.”
Captain America: Brave New World opens on Valentine’s Day next year.