We have expressed, on more than one occasion, our abiding fascination with the concept of Harrison Ford, The Big Red Hulk. It's not like it's wild that Ford would do a Marvel movie—he's a man who came up in genre film, and while he's affably grouchy in interviews, he's not exactly a snob about his roots, or the movies that have made him one of the world's most famous stars. But there's still something about an actor who's made a career out of projecting stolid dignity and wit (including right now on TV, where his performance on Shrinking continues to be a highlight) opting to let himself be turned into The World's Angriest Kool-Aid Man. Meanwhile, when contemplating why Ford decided to take this particular part—in Captain America: Brave New World, out on Valentine's Day 2025—we can now rule out "interesting acting challenge" from the list of potential motives.
"It didn’t seem to me to be a terribly difficult acting proposition," Ford told Empire this week, of the Hulk portions of the new movie. "I just didn’t sit home at night and say, ‘Oh, what do I want to do when I turn into the Hulk?’" It's possible Ford is being dismissive of his own talents here, with the film's director, Julius Onah, effusing in the same profile about how "mind-blowing" it was to watch Ford Hulk out. But, by his own statements, Ford took the job mostly out of a sense of "Why not?" Like, literally: "I’m only slightly familiar with the Marvel Universe—I live in another universe," he told Empire. "But I have watched a number of Marvel films with wonderful actors, apparently having a good time. And I thought, ‘Well, why not me?’”
Unsurprisingly, Ford seems most interested in the acting aspects of the role that do not involve smashing, noting that the most intimidating thing about the whole project was taking on a part previously played by William Hurt in earlier Marvel movies. "I was a little concerned about taking over from Bill Hurt, who was a wonderful actor," he told Empire; he didn't seem as concerned about the burdens and responsibilities of entering the ever-growing Hulk Actor Pantheon.
