Harrison Ford likes to play characters he can feel some sympathy for, or identify with on some level. Whether it’s the cynicism of Han Solo or the tenaciousness of Indiana Jones, the actor always looks for a part of himself in whatever part he agrees to play, remaining completely unconcerned with his “image” and very much interested in, as he told Playboy in 1988 (via The Daily Beast), “anything if it made a good point [or] had significance.”
And it seems that’s exactly what he saw in Jacob Dutton. The rancher in charge of the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch during the early 20th century, Dutton is a weary yet determined patriarch (sound familiar?) who battles all manner of threats to protect his family and land. Ford, who owns his own ranch in Jackson, Wyoming, clearly found something to sympathize with in Dutton, as well as something completely new to contend with. The “Indiana Jones” star spoke to Yahoo about playing Dutton and said:
“I haven’t played a character like this ever. The complexity and his moral journey in terms of the decisions he has to make are complicated and interesting. I want audiences to see the struggle of a determined man in specific circumstances.”
Taking on multiple projects at the age of 80 and portraying a character with that kind of depth sounds pretty determined in and of itself, demonstrating how even late in his career Ford is still looking to make something of “significance.”
