Harrison Ford returns as Indiana Jones

HARRISON FORD arrived at the private hangar he uses to fly in and out of Santa Monica Municipal Airport with the expression of someone waiting in line at the DMV. It's not that he is rude or mad, there's just other places he'd rather be -- the sky is crystal blue, and for a guy who owns a few planes and a helicopter, the prospect of another earth-bound interview just isn't that scintillating. ¶ Munching on a bran muffin, the sinewy 65-year-old movie star admits as much: "I don't know if 'patience' is the word, but the press and promotion, it does take a different kind of energy and a different kind of commitment than making the film itself, but I'm ready for it." ¶ He'd better be: After nearly two decades, Ford is returning to his most iconic role with " Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," the mega-release that arrives in theaters May 22. For Ford, it's been years since he has had a major hit (you have to track back to his creepy career departure in "What Lies Beneath" in 2000 or the more familiar heroics of "Air Force One" in 1997) and, considering how beloved Indiana Jones is to filmgoers, you can imagine Ford feeling plenty of bittersweet emotions by donning the old fedora. But you'd be wrong, he said, taking another bite of that dry muffin.

By Geoff Boucher

May 4, 2008