The editorial team of Mezha.Media, together with journalists from around the world, managed to talk briefly with famous actors Harrison Ford and Phoebe Waller-Bridge about their new movie Indiana Jones and the Relic of Destiny, which will be the last film in this franchise and was released in Ukrainian cinemas on June 29.

Mr. Ford, how would you describe this latest Indiana Jones movie?

Harrison Ford: There is a lot of fun in this movie. A lot of what we expect and a lot of what I think is unexpected in an Indiana Jones movie. For example, real things to think about. I think it’s a family movie and it’s best watched as a family. And one of the great things about the Indiana Jones movies is that they are passed down through the family.

And it’s a chance for children to feel something in common with their parents that they both have, and they can talk about it. It’s very nice. But I would still encourage people to go to the theater and see this movie with strangers in the dark, with an incredible sound system.

This is the place where you can feel your common human belonging. I’d like to see people return to theaters feeling something in common. You know, so much in our lives is done to tear us apart, but things like this can bring us back together, and I’m so proud to be a part of that.

Phoebe, do you remember when they told you they would like to invite you to join this Indiana Jones adventure? What was your reaction?

Phoebe Waller-Bridge: I had dinner with Kathie Kennedy (American producer – ed.) and it was the day before the UK went into lockdown, so it was my last outdoor experience at the time. It was incredible. We went to dinner and then Katie said, “How do you feel about being in the next Indiana Jones movie?”

And I fell off my chair, ordered a bottle of wine, and then said: “Well, of course!”. And after reading the script, I just couldn’t believe it, it was so exciting. The script was brilliant, complex, and beautiful. And then I just locked in to think about this adventure. It was actually a real gift.

Mr. Ford, the movie has a lot of CGI and AI footage of the younger Indiana. How do you feel about this technology?

Harrison Ford: I think it’s fantastic how this technology has been used. Lucas Film has 40 years of images that have been produced during my time working for them. And artificial intelligence is used to do the routine work of looking at these images to find the right light and the right face position.

But this is played by the real me. It seems like little markers on my face, and then on the screen, my mouth and my eyes are surrounded by the skin I had 40 years ago. This is not Photoshop, this is my real face from 40 years ago. I don’t know how they do it, but it’s fantastic and I think it’s very effective for telling a story. Because the film is about time, and time can mean many different things. In this case, it means the character’s age and his position in life.

The film has a lot of action, how long did you train before filming?

Phoebe Waller-Bridge: I trained to be in shape, not to become a polished action actor. So all the training went on for months, but really just to look like I could do these incredible jumps, not to give me the chance to actually do them.

Harrison Ford: At my age, I try to keep myself in good shape all the time, but there is no special training for this. And the shooting process itself is more about telling stories than running, jumping, and falling. The film has action, excitement, and thrill, but there is also a real human story to be told. And for this, it is worth training in something else, and not rolling on the floor with sweaty men.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny actually puts age at the fore. So the question is, what is your relationship with age?

Harrison Ford: My relationship with age is quite obvious (laughs – editor’s note).

Phoebe Waller-Bridge: When Kathie Kennedy first told me about the movie, the first thing she said was that it was very important to Harrison that it be an Indiana Jones of his age movie. And that’s what I consider it a revolutionary way to end a franchise that also started revolutionary.

Besides, older people are more interesting. They managed to do more in life, they know more. There’s actually something nourishing about seeing older people, especially in stories like this one, where you can go on a crazy adventure just by looking at them.

There is a young French actor in the film – Ethann Isidore, who plays Teddy, this is his debut role in a big movie, how comfortable was it to work with him?

Phoebe Waller-Bridge: He is a bundle of charisma. He’s a lot of fun and he’s a very instinctive actor. Remember the day we first saw him on the screen? Everyone just said, “Wow.” He is a star.

Harrison Ford: He is a natural and he brings a lot of energy and reality to the character he plays. And it’s nice to be around him. I can’t say enough about him, but I think when you see him on screen, you can’t help but feel the joy of discovery.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge: He is also an incredible pianist. One day after filming we walked into our hotel in Glasgow and thought they had hired a pianist because we heard the music. And as soon as we turned the corner, he started playing the Indiana Jones tune. And then he wrote our own melodies for us all.

I assume that you both had the opportunity to watch Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny with an audience and see their reaction. How was that experience for you, Harrison, saying goodbye to the character and the franchise, and seeing the audience and their reaction to saying goodbye to Indiana Jones?

Harrison Ford: It’s great for me to know that what we’ve been doing for 42 and a half years can have some real value. And I think that we are entering a time when a little social restructuring is taking place around us.

We are looking for ways to overcome the discord in the society in which we find ourselves, and we hope that we can restore some order and peace in our lives.

This film unites us years later. And such an experience in culture helps us to understand that we are all people, and that we are all part of the same story. And this is really important in our life. Whether these stories come from the Bible, from petroglyphs, or from movies, they help us understand who we are and what we can do together.

Harrison, how do you feel about leaving Indiana Jones? And Phoebe, how is it to be part of such an epochal finale?

Harrison Ford: I will answer simply: I am satisfied. I’m very happy with the way we were able to finish five movies, and I say goodbye to the character and say goodbye to the opportunity to work on such films. I hope to do something new, but I think we’ve done something meaningful and interesting, and I’m very grateful to have had the opportunity to be a part of it.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge: I love finales. I think endings are very important, especially these days when things rarely end. I think people’s hearts are a little more open when they know they’re seeing something for the last time.

Harrison, what part of your creative personality has Indie expressed all these years?

Harrison Ford: I think my job is to take words on paper and create behavior that matches those words and helps tell a story. And I’m proud of the stories we told. I am proud of the directing skills we put into these films. And it is very important for me to be involved in something like this, to work with the real passion of the people who make these films.

And I think that participating in these movies was definitely the main event in my career, in my life.