In Cannes, Harrison Ford bids farewell to Indiana Jones | Entertainment

Ford was swayed by the enthusiasm of the audience and the clip reel just played.

“They say when you’re dying, you see your life flash before your eyes,” he said. “I just saw my life flash before my eyes – a big part of my life, but not all of my life.”

If last year’s Cannes was partly about honoring “Top Gun” star Tom Cruise, this year’s Cannes is about Ford. This time, it’s even more poignant. At 80, Ford will retire with Indiana Jones, saying goodbye to the iconic bravado archaeologist more than 40 years after his debut with a fedora, whip and modest phobia of snakes.

It’s been a touching farewell tour — especially for Ford, who wept a lot along the way. Speaking to reporters Friday, Ford was asked: Why abandon Indy now?

“Isn’t it obvious?” he replied with a typical sheepish grin. “I need to sit back and take a break. I love the job. I love the role. I love everything it brings to my life. That’s all I can say.”

The fifth Indiana Jones film premiered at Cannes on Thursday night, bringing a seminal coda to a franchise that began with 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark. While that film and the next three were directed by Steven Spielberg based on stories by George Lucas, Ford’s final chapter was directed by “Ford and Ferrari” filmmaker James Mango Ed directed and co-wrote.

The extravaganza, one of the most sought-after tickets at Cannes this year, also included the honorary Palme d’Or awarded to Ford. The next day, Ford was still trying to tell the story of his last experience playing Indiana Jones.

“It’s indescribable. I can’t even tell you,” Ford said. “It’s extraordinary to see a kind of relic in your life as it passes by.”

Following the disappointment of 2008’s unpopular “Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull,” the possibility of a fifth film lingered for years and went through several iterations. Ford said he would like to see a different, less youthful Jones. “The Dial of Fate” is set in the 1960s, and Indiana is a retiring professor whose years of exploits no longer seem so special in the age of space exploration.

“I want to see the weight of life on him. I want to see him need reinvention and support. I want him to have a relationship that isn’t a frivolous movie relationship,” said Ford, who is with Phoebe Waller-Bridge star together. “I want an equal relationship.”

Ford was clearly deeply pleased with the film. He paid particular tribute to his team-mates and Mangold, who he said did more than “fill in the void that Steven left for us”.

“Everything is supporting me through my old age,” Ford said with a wry smile.

The film begins with an extended sequence of the final days of World War II. In those scenes, Ford has aged and looked younger. Lucasfilm CEO Kathleen Kennedy was quick to say the company won’t be using AI-built Fords in the future. Ford called the aging version of him “skilled and hardworking” who hired him — and he didn’t make him jealous.

“I’m not going to look back and say I wish I was that person. I’m really happy with my age,” Ford said. Then he added, cursing, that it could have been worse. “I might be dead.”

Ford isn’t quitting showbiz. He has two TV shows in production (Downsizing, 1923) and says he remains committed to work.

“My luck has always been to work with very talented people and find my way within that group of talent and not get kicked out,” Ford said. “And I obviously still have opportunities to work and I want That. I need that in my life, that challenge.”

Ford, like Indiana, isn’t going to leave without his hat on. Ford said he kept one, but he valued the experience of making films more. “Stuff is great, but it’s not about stuff.”

Ford can still look back. A female reporter proclaimed that the 80-year-old was “still hot” and asked Ford — who briefly goes shirtless in the film — how he stayed fit. After chuckling a few times and mentioning his passion for cycling, Ford answered the question with mock conceit.

“I’m very lucky to have this body,” he replied. “Thank you for noticing.”