Harrison Ford says he still has the scars to prove he stapled his 'Indiana Jones' hat to his head: 'You do what you need to do'
Harrison Ford seemingly confirmed to GQ that he really did staple his "Indiana Jones" hat to his head during "Raiders of the Lost Ark."
Lucasfilm
- Did Harrison Ford actually staple his fedora to his head during "Raiders of the Lost Ark"? Maybe.
- In archive BTS footage from the first "Indiana Jones" movie, he appeared to use a staple gun to keep the hat in place.
- In a GQ interview, Ford pointed to old scars on his head and said: "You do what you need to do."
Never underestimate Harrison Ford's commitment to a role. The actor appeared to confirm that he really did staple his hat to his head during "Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark."
In a famous behind-the-scenes clip from the first film in the hugely popular franchise, the actor can be seen appearing to attach his character's signature fedora to his head using a staple gun, wincing as he went. It seemingly explained why Indy's hat somehow never falls off, even during the most intense fight scenes or chase sequences.
Speaking to GQ in a new video interview, Ford was asked about the archive footage, and he claimed he still has scars from the hat-stapling.
Paramount Pictures
"I still have the … see it?" Ford says, pointing at his hairline and showing the camera his supposed staple scars.
"You do what you need to do," he added.
Given Ford's dry sense of humor, it's not clear whether he was just committing to the decades-long joke (we suspect the staple gun could have been empty) or whether he was in fact telling the truth.
Either way, the fedora isn't the only part of Indy's iconic outfit that 81-year-old Ford took issue with.
Elsewhere in the interview, the actor — who has reprised his role in the fifth installment, "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" — said that when he first saw the costume for the character, he pushed back against the leather jacket and bullwhip.
"It was presented to me as an aspect of character in the first film," Ford said about his costume.
"My questions about it were many," he continued. "Why am I wearing a leather jacket in the jungle? Isn't it hot here? Why am I carrying a whip? What am I going to do with a fucking whip? Am I going to whip people?"
He said he was told that the costume, particularly the hat, was "an evocation of a time" and "a reflection of movies past."
"I said OK, and that makes it my own," he said of the getup, which has gone down in movie history as one of the most recognizable costumes ever worn on screen.