As 2022 draws to a close, Hollywood prepares to give its big 2023 films a nice boost in previews. And no film has had a bigger boost in the past week than “Indiana Jones 5,” ready to hit theaters next June. While the film still lacks an official title, Empire has a bunch of new info about the fedora-wearing archeologist’s latest adventure. For one, the movie takes place in 1969, has Jones facing off against Nazis again, and has an opening scene that takes place in a castle in 1944.
But what about the new characters introduced in “Indy 5”? Take Phoebe Waller-Bridge, for example: who’s the remarkable comedic talent behind “Fleabag” playing in the new film? Empire has the answer. Waller-Bridge plays Helena, Henry Jones Jr’s goddaughter and a character the actress believes she’s born to play. But Waller-Bridge wouldn’t give away too much to Empire about the character in a new interview. “She’s a mystery and a wonder,” Waller-Bridge teased. Director James Mangold was a little more forthcoming about the role, describing Helen as “slippery, charming, the girl next door, a grifter.” It sounds like a chip off the old block, right? Harrison Ford thinks so, as he described Helen as “a pioneer in ethical accounting.” After all, Indiana Jones has never shied away from underhanded tactics; why should his goddaughter not do the same?
Waller-Bridge broke down her casting process for Helen to Empire, citing a dinner with legendary producer and Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy as the catalyst. “Kathy was in London and asked to have dinner with me, and casually mentioned this [role],” recalled the actress. “I immediately ordered ten bottles of wine. Then it was the fastest I’ve ever read a script; I came out of a sort of haze afterwards. I just couldn’t believe how much fun I had and how moved I was by it. And then I had a Zoom and screamed, ‘YES!’ at them all.” And that, one infers, was that, Waller-Bridge capturing the role immediately.
But Mangold had a specific reference point for Waller-Bridge when he cast her as Helena: Barbara Stanwyck‘s performance in the 1941 screwball comedy “The Lady Eve.” “I was like ‘Oh yeah, sure, I’ll just do my Barbara Stanwick,’ joked Waller-Bridge, “IT’S AN IMPOSSIBLE FEAT!” But the actress thinks Helen plays the perfect complement to Ford’s grizzled, aging hero, especially in the film’s big action set-pieces. “Honestly, I just loved it,” Waller-Bridge continued. “When you’re playing a character who throws herself on the back of a vehicle, there’s no acting around that. You just have to bloody do it.”
It remains unclear what Waller-Bridge’s Helen And Ford’s Indy get up to in “Indiana Jones 5,” but they could end up being a mesmerizing comedic pairing. Stay tuned for more details about the movie soon. “Indiana Jones 5” hits theaters everywhere on June 30, 2023. Take a look at an image of Phoebe Waller-Bridge as Helen below.
