Phoebe Waller-Bridge ‘scared the crap’ out of Harrison Ford with Indiana Jones prank

‘We were taking the piss out of each other all the time, and having a lot of fun,’ ‘Fleabag’ actor said

Phoebe Waller-Bridge has claimed that a prank she played on Harrison Ford “scared the crap” out of the octogenarian.

The British actor and writer, 37, stars alongside Ford in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny – the franchise’s forthcoming fifth instalment.

Waller-Bridge’s casting was announced in April 2021 following a wave of critical success stemming from her BBC Three comedy series Fleabag, which ended with its second series in 2019.

In a new interview with Ford to promote Dial of Destiny (out 28 June in the UK), Waller-Bridge recalled first meeting the legendary actor for the first time in director James Mangold’s office.

“[Ford] immediately went, ‘Hey!’ like an old friend,” she told Entertainment Weekly. “And from that day on, we were fine. We read the script for about five minutes, and we all had a scotch for an hour. So it was perfect.”

According to Waller-Bridge, the jovial atmosphere continued on set as the pair played a number of pranks on each other.

“From the moment we met, it was ‘s***heads all round. We were taking the piss out of each other all the time, and having a lot of fun,” she said.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Harrison Ford in ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ (©2022 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.)

“The most extraordinary thing about working with Harrison is that you’re definitely at work – in that his work ethic is so on point, and his discipline is so extraordinary – but because he’s that specific and the foundation of the work is really strong, the rest of it can be really fun,” she continued before adding: “There were a lot of pranks... lots of pranks.”

In particular, Waller-Bridge recalled hiding in Ford’s trailer while wearing an Indiana Jones face mask.

“It scared the crap out of him, actually. Even though that ‘actually’ is only represented by him blinking three times and saying, ‘Get the hell out of my trailer,’” she said.

Twenty minutes later, Ford apparently repaid the favour by sneaking up on Waller-Bridge wearing a mask of her face. “I didn’t think of it as a ‘prank.’ But yes, I mean, we spent a lot of time fooling around,” Ford admitted.

Dial of Destiny premiered at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, where it received mixed reviews from critics.

In a three-star review for The Independent, Geoffrey Macnab wrote: “Ford is in typically redoubtable form in The Dial of Destiny but the film itself is sprawling and very uneven.

In a recent interview, director Mangold (Logan) reacted to the film’s mixed critical reception.

Mangold takes over from Steven Speilberg, who directed the original Indiana Jones film, Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), and its three sequels: Dial of Destiny: 1984’s Temple of Doom, 1989’s Last Crusade, and 2008’s Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

As well as Ford, Dial of Destiny sees two other actors reprise past roles from the franchise: Karen Allen and John-Rhys Davis. New cast members include Waller-Bridge and Mads Mikkelsen.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is out in cinemas on 28 June in the UK and 30 June in the US.