“Snakes — I hate snakes. But not as much as illegal logging and climate change.”
Indy, the nuke-the-fridge incident is all but forgiven: International film star, astonishingly spry geriatric badass (71!), and environmental crusader Harrison Ford allegedly just got all up in the Indonesian government’s face about climate change and illegal logging. He was in the country filming an episode for Years of Living Dangerously, a Showtime doc about climate change planned for release in April 2014 (the flick also features Matt Damon and Arnold Schwarzenegger). From The Guardian:
The Hollywood actor Harrison Ford has been accused of “harassing state institutions” in Indonesia and threatened with deportation after allegedly confronting a minister during an interview about illegal logging and climate change.
The forestry minister, Zulkifi Hasan, said he was left shocked by Ford’s emotionally charged interview techniques and complained there was no time to go over the questions before filming began, local media reported.
Did Indiana Jones tell the big dude with the sword in Cairo that he had a gun? Did Han Solo politely alert the bar patrons of Mos Eisley to the fact he was armed? No! Because the element of surprise works. Shoot Greedo first, ask questions later — honestly, I’m surprised the Indonesian forestry minister didn’t see this one coming. Nevertheless, they didn’t take it well, and they threatened Ally McBeal’s baby daddy with deportation.
Ford, 71, travelled to locations around the country to interview Indonesian activists and officials, including the president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, on issues including forest fires, peatland conservation and palm oil plantations.
But the forestry minister was so angered by his interview with Ford that he threatened to have the actor deported, despite the fact that Ford was due to leave on Tuesday anyway.
I can guess how that conversation went. Indonesia: “We’ll deport you!” Harrison: “I know.” Dude knows his way around a pithy comeback.
Harrison’s always been prickly about comparisons to his signature roles, but he has a proven track record of real-world heroism. I don’t think it’s too late to ask for an encore performance — perhaps one that twins his real-life crusades with the fictional ones. Hear me out: It’s the early ’60s, and archaeologist-turned-climatologist Henry “Indiana” Jones, Jr. heads off to the Indonesian rainforest to investigate mysterious Korowai talisman rumored to control the Earth’s albedo. Or wait, wait: Two years after the dissolution of the Second Galactic Republic, Han Solo embarks on a singular quest to keep a bitumen Death Star out of the hands of a resurgent, carbon-loving cabal of Sith headed by Darth Koch and his lethal apprentice, Darth Harper. What do you say, Harry? A return to Star Wars — for the planet?
Oh. Shit. Don’t answer yet. We’ll talk to J.J. Abrams first.
