The famed actor plays Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross (AKA Red Hulk) in Captain America: Brave New World, which opens next year.
William Hurt, who played the role in five Marvel films over the years, passed away in 2022, and Ford took over.
The actor was 71 when he died. In 2018, doctors diagnosed him with cancer.
Speaking on Hurt’s portrayal of Ross, Ford, 82, said at the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con: “He created a really firm basis for the character; I appreciate him greatly for the job that he accomplished in his lifetime.
“God, bless his soul. I’m thrilled to be able to stand on his shoulders and continue playing the character.”
While at Comic-Con, Ford spoke with Variety about the motion capture method necessary for the 82-year-old to change into the Red Hulk.
“What did it take?” “It took not caring,” he explained. “It took being an idiot for money, which I’ve done before.”
Ford soon clarified that he did not want to ‘disparage’ the movie with his statement.
“I’m just saying you have to do certain things that normally your mother would not want you to do—or your acting coach if you had one,” the actor told the newspaper.
“But it’s entertaining, and I enjoyed it. I had a terrific experience, and I’m thrilled with the reception we had with the trailer.”
Ford co-stars in Captain America: Brave New World with Anthony Mackie, who has previously been in the MCU.
Mackie has long played Sam Wilson, also known as The Falcon, in the franchise.
However, The Falcon has now taken over as Captain America from Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), as shown in the Marvel spin-off series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
When asked what it’s like to work with Hollywood veteran Ford, Mackie told Inverse last year, “He’s Harrison f**king Ford.” He is surrounded by an aura. But he immediately dismisses it because he’s such a cool person.
“He embodies everything a movie star should be. He’d remark, ‘Let’s shoot this piece of s***.’ And everybody said, ‘Yeah, let’s film this s**t.'”
The release date for Captain America: Brave New World is February 14, 2025.