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Would Bradley Cooper make a good Indy?
Of course, no-one but the great Mr Ford could ever truly play Indy but I was thinking if another actor was ever cast to fill those well-trodden boots on the silver screen then maybe Bradley Cooper wouldn't be such a bad choice. I wasn't much of a fan when I first saw him in Alias but in his recent movie work Bradley has displayed that kind of rugged charm and cocksure yet fallible swagger that smacks of Indy. Just a thought
Not a big fan of Bradley Cooper. At least in the roles that I've seen him in. He comes off as a real douche for the lack of a better word. Again, it could be because of the roles he plays.
After seeing Inception for a second time - I think Tom Hardy could make a fine Indy - but of course there is no one but Harrison that could make it work!
Just saw Limitless and enjoyed it as a good romp. The scene when he is tearing through some sea side town in a fast sports car looking tanned with a couple days of stubble made me think he could be a good Indy.
see i think it'd be difficult for anyone to take on the Indy role other than Harrison Ford. Ford knows how to play a hero role superbly. y'know how actors/actresses are best known for a specific kinda role, like hero, villain, damsel in distress, etc? you'd need someone who would A) look like Harrison Ford and B) know how to play a hero role like it's nobody's business. it'd be difficult to find someone like that, that i know of at least.
I think you have to be mindful that we're talking about a casting of an actor to play Indiana Jones and not Harrison Ford. The lines are blurred because, to most of us here, Ford is Indiana Jones... but for me it would be a mistake to automatically gravitate to someone who resembles Ford (be it physically or a similarity between characters they've portrayed).
A future actor playing Indiana Jones has to look like Indiana Jones, which means there has to be some likeness in most probability to Harrison Ford. This doesn't mean a carbon copy, but a reminiscence. I find Ford to be an almost boring actor, which is not a criticism, and that this lent itself to playing the morally ambiguous and hard-to-pinpoint character of Indiana Jones really well. That 'bland' character contrasted really well with the adventures he took on or was thrust into. This blandness also made him cool and detached and when he did express heightened emotions they took on greater effect.
A future actor playing Indiana Jones has to look like Indiana Jones
I'm not sure what you mean Mickiana? How similar was Harrison Ford to Tom Selleck, Sean Connery to Daniel Craig, Michael Keaton to Christian Bale? Etc. etc.
Of course there are basic physical traits one most aspire towards e.g. the actor must have two legs (thinking of a Pete and Dud sketch), he must be of a general physical build e.g not looking like Woody Allen. But other than that anything goes... You have to choose the best actor for the job, not the one who closest resembles the original actor.
Without running away from an definitive answer, I was talking in general terms. He'd have to be within a certain range of height. Too tall or too short is going to be a problem. For instance, some have previously argued that Selleck might have been too tall and too ruggedly built with it and swinging off his whips might have seemed then to be too unrealistic.
He's got to be relatively athletic, neither too thin or too muscular/fat. As you say a Woody Allen wouldn't suffice. So, once stature is right all we have left is his face and head to really see for most of the movie because once he has his trademark clothes on he is supposed to be Indiana Jones and Professor Henry Jones Jnr. Too round a face or too long and thin won't do. None of his features can be extreme in any way. Harrison looked like Indiana Jones is one way of putting it.
No extreme features, lean and muscular (no double chin or puffy cheeks - although Harrison was close to this in LC), full head of hair, right proportions in the face and the ability to grow a good stubble. He is handsome because there are no distracting features. I suppose these are the parameters for choosing someone. Sorry I seem to be vague but I don't think it's easy as there's not a science to it (or is there?).
I like him, maybe he's bit more pretty boy than rough-and-ready as Indy is so far, but I suppose that's true when you compare Roger Moore to Sean Connery; as Darth Vile points out above.
Without running away from an definitive answer, I was talking in general terms. He'd have to be within a certain range of height. Too tall or too short is going to be a problem. For instance, some have previously argued that Selleck might have been too tall and too ruggedly built with it and swinging off his whips might have seemed then to be too unrealistic.
He's got to be relatively athletic, neither too thin or too muscular/fat. As you say a Woody Allen wouldn't suffice. So, once stature is right all we have left is his face and head to really see for most of the movie because once he has his trademark clothes on he is supposed to be Indiana Jones and Professor Henry Jones Jnr. Too round a face or too long and thin won't do. None of his features can be extreme in any way. Harrison looked like Indiana Jones is one way of putting it.
No extreme features, lean and muscular (no double chin or puffy cheeks - although Harrison was close to this in LC), full head of hair, right proportions in the face and the ability to grow a good stubble. He is handsome because there are no distracting features. I suppose these are the parameters for choosing someone. Sorry I seem to be vague but I don't think it's easy as there's not a science to it (or is there?).
I think the quintessential thing Ford brought to the role (similar to what Bruce Willis has done well over the past couple of decades and what Paul Newman was good at in the 50's/60's) is he can be hugely heroic, but he can (surpisingly for the muscular type) also appear physically vunerable... and I don't think that's a taken 'from the page' thing... but an inate skill hard to immitate.
If Raiders had been made in the 50's/60's I'd definatley pitched it at Paul Newman rather than a Rock Hudson or Cary Grant type. And although clearly Newman was a good looking guy, he was a physically slight man... which leads me to think that it's what they embody which is important rather than being 6ft or with a full head of hair etc...
But he needn't act smug if he were to play the role at all. Privately he can be as smug as he wants. Onscreen he does what the script and the director wants. (place smug emoticon here)
I think the quintessential thing Ford brought to the role (similar to what Bruce Willis has done well over the past couple of decades and what Paul Newman was good at in the 50's/60's) is he can be hugely heroic, but he can (surpisingly for the muscular type) also appear physically vunerable...
I remember that Nathan Fillion commented in the Serenity and/or Firefly DVD special features that he took a Harrison Ford/Indiana Jones approach to his action scenes. He said that Ford always made it look like being punched in the face actually hurt, and he tried to mimic that.
I think that's one of the things that Ford brings to Indy - he always looks like a man that is really vulnerable when he's getting the sh*t kicked out of him. If there ever were a replacement such as Cooper, they'd have to ensure they followed suit. He's not Superman.
The movies Bradley Cooper's been in have certainly seem him to be very smug in them. Thats not to say he couldn't do it though. I think looks wise he fits the bill.
Going slightly off topic and someone may be able to clarify this, but I'm sure I remember gossip years ago of Indy having a brother who would appear in a film with him, and this lead to talk of Tom Selleck maybe getting his chance to appear in an Indy movie as said brother. But I actually was always of the opinion that Dennis Quaid reminded me in a certain way of Harrison Ford. Obviously Quaid is probably too old anyway now.
But he needn't act smug if he were to play the role at all. Privately he can be as smug as he wants. Onscreen he does what the script and the director wants. (place smug emoticon here)
I have a feeling he couldn't contain it...
I don't think he could convince me he was a college professor especially conveying the authority...
I have a feeling he could convey the authority. In Limitless he portrayed pre NZT and post NZT pretty well. Rocket, when you say he comes across as smug, are you referring to his character while under the use of NZT? If so, I would agree with you, but that is a part of the change which NZT causes. The total self confidence contains high levels of smugness. But compare that with his loser self pre NZT. He plays a droll, very uninspiring character well. This type of transition in a character is similar to the transition between Professor Henry Jones Jnr in the classroom and leather clad, whip cracking Indiana Jones on an adventure. I know it's going to be pointed out how it isn't similar, but I'm going to put it forward anyway.
