Indiana Jones is an archeologist and as far as I know, there have been very few of those in that profession who have graced the movie screen. How much did you know about that occupation and did it fascinate you once you became involved in the character?

What I was interested in was knowing what the state of the art of archeology was at that point. For the first film, we were in 1940 approximately, so I read the archeological annals of that year and a few things about the Ark of the Covenant,. I wanted to be familiar with a few things that we were talking about. I did some research into archeology and the teaching of it and what they were teaching at that time.

Is it a profession that might ever be interesting to you?

No.

There are stories that the Ark still exists in Ethiopia and that someone actually guards it with orders to kill anyone who comes close.

All of the [physical effects] that we used in these films are all based in legends and well established traditions and the fact that they are believed by so many people is one of the paranormal things about them.

As we are now about to experience the fourth installment in the Indiana Jones journey, you have been one of the only on-screen constants. Was it decided with the first sequel that the adventures would only feature a new girl and new adversaries?

Yes. I think it was one of the choices that we made to keep it fresh. I don’t know how much pre-planning there was for the second film. It did take three years for a script to appear so I don’t know how much of that had been pre-ordained. We were basically making it up as we went along.

Though you said the films were meant to be adventures and fun and fresh, there were those that felt the second movie, 'Temple Of Doom' went a little too far in terms of its graphic nature, specifically the dinner sequence, and also might have been a little racist. Have critics over-analyzed the films too much and maybe they should be judged strictly for their entertainment sake?

I think the films of the genre that we were referring to are pretty unconscious of any stereotypes that they might embrace. There were some moments, perhaps in the zeal of filmmaking, that there might be the interpretation that we were taking aspects of another’s culture and being judgmental. That was not the case. We were not making a serious accusation against another culture.

As an actor, you certainly got to experience a lot of other cultures during the making of all these films. Does one location stand out for you as just being so impressive?

I loved shooting in Sri Lanka. That was the most extraordinary place. Venice was pretty amazing as well to have the access to the streets and canals that we did in the third episode. I loved the culture of Sri Lanka. We were in a small town and I had the opportunity to eat the local food and ride on an elephant and so the weird little stuff that one would normally never have the chance to do.

Does that include riding those mine cars in the second film? Was that difficult to stage?

It certainly cut quicker than it was to actually film it. There were some takes that got a little old but it is always interesting. I don’t know if I remember anything that interesting. I do recall all of the impressive sets they built, especially with the child mining slaves. It felt daunting for several reasons. I had hurt my back and was away for four weeks to get surgery and when I came back, all we had left to do were the action scenes on that set. They actually shot some scenes with my stunt guy Vic Armstrong and so I had to come in and do the shots where you could see my face.

The insurance guys must love you.

I have not had to use them since.

One of the fundamentals of these films that seems to resonate strongly is the fact that these films introduce elements that do have some grounding in actual history. How careful are you to make sure that there is some accuracy to it so they are just not pure fantasy storylines?

There has been a lot of research into these storylines. It is considerable and they do hold to the line of the myth that they were intended to. There is also what I call the ‘misto-crypto element’ where Indiana Jones has to make a leap of faith and has to come to some understanding about the particular element that we are using. He has to understand the myth that he is dealing with and then has to take some action against the object that he has come across.

For 'The Last Crusade', you mentioned before about the freshness. Even though it went back to the Nazi’s, the film introduced the whole family spin to his story.

That was something I was really working toward. I have always said that if we repeat the character, we need to understand the man and nothing is more telling than a man’s relationship to his father. I felt that introduction was essential to the story and to defining the character.

Spielberg has long had a fascination for James Bond and, in that film, it stars a former Bond, a former Bond girl, a Bond ally and three former Bond villains. Was it great working with Sean?

I didn’t know all of that. Sean has a great mentality and intelligence and really understood the character. He did a lot of research and brought some great ideas. As an actor, he is wonderfully generous.

Now we have landed at the 'Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull'. Did you ever believe that that after 19 years it would ever happen? I know so many scripts had been attempted.

I knew it would happen one day. I didn’t know how long it would take us. After about five or six years after the last one, we started talking about it. There were a couple of versions of the scripts that didn’t get it right but I knew we would eventually find the right idea and this one is really good.

It features a terrific female antagonist in Cate Blanchett.

She is terrific. She brought a lot to her character and to the film overall.

What can you say about her role in the movie?

Not much. As an actor, it was a pleasure working with her.

You said before how each film brought something fresh. What freshness was brought out in this one?

There were elements of the plot that I will not reveal that you will see illuminate the character and those are things I would refer to as fresh.

You are also 19 years older. Will we see that factor dealt with? Is it played humorously?

He is in as good as shape as I am. We acknowledge the 20-year passage of time and we find the character in a different historical context for that period of time. Whilst acknowledging the difference in age, it doesn’t really play a factor.

Many actors talk about the dangers of doing sequels and yet with 'Star Wars' and 'Indiana Jones', you have done two major film series.

Show business has been very, very good to me.

You once said how movie acting is not brain surgery; it is a skill and craft. So for you, what skill and craft has Indiana Jones tapped into for you?

It is always the same skill. It is storytelling. It has to make the relationships seem real and spontaneous as possible. Don’t fall over the words and get the story told. There is nothing terribly different from one job to the next. I will create a character that the audience will hopefully have an emotional relationship with and bring them into the story.

Will there be things that audiences will see in this new film that they haven’t seen before?

Yes there will be but I will not tell you what they are.

You do have the fedora and the jacket. Are they the originals from the other films?

I am not sure. They might be. I do know the jacket and pants still fit. I do know they had to make the required number of copies of each for the various scenes.

Samuel Jackson surpassed you with his 'Star Wars' films as the actor with the greatest worldwide box-office total. This new 'Indiana Jones' film could put you back on top. Samuel actually asked Lucas to put him in a small role just so he could keep the lead. Do you feel the pressure?

Really? Samuel wanted to tap into that but I am not worried about it.