From a daring smuggler in a galaxy far, far away to an archaeologist braving ancient traps, Harrison Ford has no doubt left an indelible mark on the silver screen.

The 80-year-old Indiana Jones star is arguably one of the biggest movie stars of all time, making it almost hard to believe he never had ambitions of becoming a Hollywood sensation or achieving any kind of fame.

Speaking to People magazine, Ford admitted he “never thought [he] would be a leading man”.

“I really was just hoping I could make a living as an actor and not have to supplement my income with some other side hustle … I thought I would be lucky to have a character part on a regular TV show,” he said.

However, destiny had a different path in mind, and with the unwavering support of his fans the Chicago native embarked on an extraordinary career spanning over five decades, taking on blockbuster films including the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises.

“I probably enjoy making movies more now than I ever did,” Ford said.

“No one ever believes this but I never wanted to be rich and famous. I just wanted to be an actor.”

Despite not losing his love for the silver screen, Ford, who turns 81 in July, confessed that his age has started to take its toll – but he has no desire to rewind the clock.

“I was young, and now I enjoy being old,” he said.

“You are certainly physically diminished by age but there are wonderful things about age—richness of experience, the full weight of all the time you’ve been spending getting to being old— and there’s a certain ease in it for me.”

Still, all good things must come to an end.

And while the beloved actor is still keeping busy with his Yellowstone prequel 1923 on Paramount+ and recently wrapping up his first entry into the Marvel universe, Captain America: Brave New World, Ford admitted he “always wanted a final chapter” in his Indiana Jones story.

After having played the iconic character since 1981, Ford eagerly embraced the chance to bring the character back to life in the highly anticipated upcoming film, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.

“I’d always wanted a final chapter in the story. We first started thinking about it quite a few years ago,” he said.

“My ambition — all of our ambitions — was to come up with a story that dealt with the reality of his age because he was such a physical character.

“I wanted to see him diminished and revivified by whatever the storyline was and by whoever the characters were.

“And when we got the story that felt right to everybody, then we went ahead.”