When I think of Harrison Ford, it’s hard not to think about the Indiana Jones movies and the Star Wars franchise. That’s true for many as well, as Indy and Han Solo are two characters who have become legendary. It turns out the actor’s co-stars feel that way too, as Darren Mann – who played Jack Dutton in 1923 opposite Ford’s Jacob Dutton – told me a story behind the first time he met Harrison Ford that involves none other than Indiana Jones.
While we’ve known and loved Harrison Ford for his films for decades, in recent years, he’s been making a splash on TV. Specifically, he starred in the Yellowstone prequel 1923 – which just wrapped up its run on the 2025 TV schedule – as Jacob Dutton. So, you could say he traded in Indy’s fedora for a cowboy hat.
To that point, when I asked Darren Mann about the Yellowstone show’s cowboy hats during an interview for Season 2 of 1923, he brought up the story of the first time he met Ford, telling me:
My hat story is just I remember going into the wardrobe fitting in Montana, and that was the first time I got to meet Harrison as I was trying on different hats for our fantastic costume wardrobe designer Janie [Bryant] – she took great care of us, always had the best outfits. We were trying on hats, and then I hear [makes knocking noise] like a quick double knock, and then the door flings open. And I swear I was watching, like the classic Indiana Jones entrance, like he just needed the whip.
I would truly be so starstruck if this happened. I can imagine Harrison Ford swiftly pushing the door open and walking through it in a classic wide-brimmed hat; it’s very Indiana Jones of him.
It turns out that Darren Mann was in awe, too. He told me that as he was trying on cowboy hats, the Shrinking star was being playful and asking him about which hat looked the best. Overall, the Jack Dutton actor felt like he was standing right next to Indiana Jones…because, well, he was:
And he had tried on this hat, and he’s like, ‘Oh, hey kid, how’s this hat?’ He was trying on hats, and I was just like, ‘Oh shit, that’s Indiana Jones. He just blew in the door there. I’ve seen that. I’ve seen him do that.’
After that, I geeked out a bit over this amazing story and told Mann how big a fan I am of Ford. He agreed, telling me that he loves his co-star, and when this happened to him, he didn’t actually say anything back. He just looked forward with his jaw dropped.
This story about Harrison Ford being quite funny and simply legendary fits right in with other tales from the set of 1923. Along with Mann being a fan while working with him, Brandon Sklenar couldn’t help but think about how cool it was, too. The Spencer Dutton actor got to walk out of a burning building next to his iconic co-star, and he told me it felt like he was in an epic action movie like Die Hard, John Wick, or, dare I say, Indiana Jones.
Overall, Darren Mann’s story about Harrison Ford was so endearing, and it sounds like they had a grand old time playing cowboys together.
Now, if you’d like to see these two in their cowboy hats and defending the Dutton ranch together, you can stream both seasons of 1923 in full with a Paramount+ subscription.
