Harrison Ford explains why he keeps acting into his 80s

At 82, Harrison Ford doesn’t need to keep acting. But now nearly 60 years into his career, you’d think he’d be at a place where he would hang up more than just Indy’s fedora. Fortunately for his fans, that’s not going to be the case, as Ford says he has a specific reason he presses on.

Speaking with Vanity Fair, Harrison Ford said there’s something deep about why he continues taking roles. “Oh man, I get out of it essential human contact. I get to imagine with people that have great skill and experience…It’s fun to work with these people.”

The people he’s referring to are those on Shrinking, the Apple TV+ series that he is unjustly being snubbed Emmy recognition for. In it, he gives one of his finest and most nuanced performances. He’s also incredibly funny in it, a trait we don’t normally associate with Harrison Ford. On his approach to comedy, he said, “I didn’t think much about it as an actor, but I did think about it as a person. I always enjoyed humor. I loved jokes. I loved the construction of jokes. My father was a joke teller. The wordsmithing and the ideas that lay behind a joke have always interested me. When I was thinking about becoming an actor, I was ambitious for both kinds of work—serious drama and comedy. I found myself doing both and not really distinguishing much between them. I think I think with the same actor’s head about a joke as I do about a serious or emotional scene.”

Harrison Ford has chatted about his disinterest in the retirement life before, saying he would feel utterly useless if he ever did leave acting. And it’s a good thing, because now that Ford has kicked the nostalgia bug by giving Indiana Jones, Han Solo and Rick Deckard their send-offs, he can focus on projects that give him something to chew on and have fun with. As season two of Shrinking nears its premiere, he is also set to go full mo-cap as Red Hulk in Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts*.

Outside of his franchise characters, which Harrison Ford performance is your favorite?