Every time Harrison Ford injured himself on the set of a movie
Being an action hero isn’t an easy gig, especially if it’s an avenue any actor chooses to pursue for decades. Harrison Ford knows that more than most, having suffered a litany of injuries and incidents over the course of a long and storied career.
Having lent his talents – and performed many of his own stunts – in such labour-intensive productions as the Star Wars franchise, the Indiana Jones saga, Blade Runner, The Fugitive, Clear and Present Danger, Patriot Games, Air Force One, and The Call of the Wild among others, it’s no surprise the star has been put through the physical wringer.
Despite suffering such an extensive amount of maladies, though, Ford has continued to pull off as many stunts himself as possible. It’s an admirable attempt to strive for realism and authenticity, but his desire to continue pushing through the pain barrier as time wears on makes Indy’s proclamation of “it’s not the years, honey, it’s the mileage” become increasingly apt.
As far back as Raiders of the Lost Ark, Ford ended up with a torn ACL while performing a stunt and suffered bruised ribs when he was being dragged along behind a truck in the iconic chase sequence. Riding elephants in the sequel Temple of Doom doesn’t sound like the most strenuous of activities, but the leading man nonetheless suffered a spinal injury that ruled him out of action for five weeks.
His ailments endured on The Fugitive made it into the final cut, with Richard Kimble seen limping at various points due to the damaged ligaments that occurred while filming the character’s escape into the woods. From there, Ford managed to keep himself out of trouble for a long time, before his next on-set injury ended up being his most serious yet.
A hotly-anticipated return to Star Wars in The Force Awakens didn’t go off without a hitch after Ford’s ankle was fractured when the hydraulic door of the Millennium Falcon slammed shut on his foot. As well as being airlifted to hospital and taking two months to recover, it was claimed by the prosecutor in a subsequent court hearing that it could have proven fatal had the “safety breach” happened to another part of the actor’s body.
Most recently, production on Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny had to find a workaround to carry on without him after something as innocuous as rehearsing a punch for a fight scene opposite co-star Mads Mikkelsen once again side-lined him for weeks with a shoulder injury that required his arm to be put in a sling.
Ford is well aware of his reputation, too, underlined by his response to being praised for doing so many of his own stunts throughout his career. “Yeah, well, I’m also known for shutting movies down because I get hurt, which is not something you want to be known for,” he told Esquire. “But hey, shit happens.”
