Helen Mirren calls Harrison Ford a ‘god-given movie star’; shares her experience of working with Indiana Jones actor

Mirren, who starred opposite Ford for the first time in Peter Weir’s The Mosquito Coast (1986), told PEOPLE, “I think the element that makes him the legend that he is and will be is that sense of being the kind of guy you would call when your car got stuck in a ditch and also completely understand why you were so upset about your cat dying and shed some tears with you. He is a real god-given movie star, but also a chap, a geezer, a guy, a bloke and a mensch. And along with millions of others, I love him.”

The duo was last seen together in Taylor Sheridan’s Western drama television series 1923, a prequel to the series Yellowstone and a sequel to the series 1883.

When Harrison Ford told PEOPLE that “Helen is incredible”, Mirren was quick to respond that the feeling was mutual.

Reflecting on the changes and constancy in Ford’s persona over the past four decades, the actor said, “In his essence, Harrison Ford is the same person he was when I first met him. Impatient with the annoying sides of the great fame that had settled upon him, adult sycophancy, loss of privacy, etc., and yet immeasurably patient and kind to starstruck kids so excited to see their hero. His privacy was a profoundly protected place. His work was always beautifully designed and constructed, like the carpentry he was so well known for, and I was deeply impressed with his understanding and use of the techniques of film acting. He taught me a lot through my observations. He was professional, guarded, and mysterious, and I was both fascinated and intimidated.”

Helen Mirren, who was last seen in Louis Leterrier’s Fast X, is now working on Marc Forster’s war drama film White Bird.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, featuring Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen, and Antonio Banderas alongside Harrison Ford, had its world premiere at the 76th Cannes Film Festival. The culmination of the franchise was commemorated with a remarkable five-minute standing ovation from the Cannes audience, an emotional moment that deeply touched Ford, bringing tears to his eyes.

Indiana Jones, a cinematic creation born out of the collaboration between legendary filmmakers George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, stands as one of the most successful and highly regarded movie franchises in the history of films.