Harrison Ford on the sweet reason he enjoys 'being old'

The actor says he doesn't want to be young again...

harrison ford
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Harrison Ford recently revealed the wholesome reasons he loves being old - plus why he never saw himself as a leading man.

Harrison Ford, 80, will put on his Indiana Jones garb for the last time when his newest movie Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny comes out in theaters on June 30, returning to a role that helped make him into the acting legend he is today. 

His long and successful career keeps going, most recently with his success on Yellowstone spin-off 1923. But, as his chapter as Indiana Jones comes to a true close, the actor is reflecting on what the role has meant to him, as well as why he's enjoying his old age. 

harrison ford

(Image credit: Getty Images)

"I probably enjoy making movies more now than I ever did,” he told People

Although he acknowledged that, of course, getting older can start to take its physical toll on the body, he wouldn't trade his experiences or reverse time, even if he could. "I don’t want to be young again... I was young, and now I enjoy being old," he said.

He went on to express why he's enjoyed getting older with his wife Calista Flockhart, despite the trials that accompany it. "You are certainly physically diminished by age but there are wonderful things about age - the richness of experience, the full weight of all the time you’ve been spending getting to being old - and there’s a certain ease in it for me," he reflected.

He also has expressed in the past how much he's enjoyed getting to bond with his five kids as he has gotten older, and finding a balance between his career and his family life. 

He also revealed that he originally had no plans of being a "leading man" in Hollywood, despite the fact that he has so obviously turned into one over the last 50 years. 

"I never thought that I would be a leading man," he said. "I really was just hoping I could make a living as an actor and not have to supplement my income with some other side hustle… I thought I would be lucky to have a character part on a regular TV show."

The universe clearly had other plans, as Harrison has continued to star as the titular character in the Indiana Jones franchise, as well as having acclaimed roles in other films and franchises like Star Wars, Blade Runner, Apocalypse Now, and much more. 

He continued to say that, as he works on set, he tends to keep his head down and focus mostly on the work being created - not on the riches and success that his career has provided him. "No one ever believes this, but I never wanted to be rich and famous,” he says. “I just wanted to be an actor."

Madeline Merinuk
US Lifestyle News Writer

Madeline Merinuk is woman&home's US lifestyle news writer, covering celebrity, entertainment, fashion, and beauty news.

She graduated in 2021 with a B.A. in Journalism from Hofstra University, winning multiple student journalism awards, including a National Hearst Award, during her time there. After graduating, she worked at today.com, the digital site for the Today Show, where she wrote pop culture news and interviewed big-name personalities like Emily Ratajkowski, Haley Lu Richardson, Emma Corrin, and more.

Her personal interests, in no particular order, are: cheese, Joni Mitchell, reading, hot yoga, traveling, having multiple chapsticks in every handbag at all times, and dancing to ABBA songs as if she were in the Mamma Mia movies.