When shooting scenes in movies, the real-life conditions actors face can be very different from what you see on screen. Imagine having to smile with chattering teeth while wearing summer clothes in freezing weather, or trying not to sweat too much in heavy coats under scorching heat. This was a problem Harrison Ford and Sean Connery encountered while filming *Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade*.
Filming the *Indiana Jones* movies was never easy for Harrison Ford. One famous example is the iconic scene where Indiana brings a gun to a whip fight, which was improvised because Ford had stomach problems that day. In *The Last Crusade*, Ford and Connery faced a different challenge. They had to shoot a scene set on a zeppelin in winter, with all the passengers dressed in fur coats. However, the studio was extremely hot.
To cope, Ford and Connery decided to film the scene, which takes place in a crowded bar/restaurant, without wearing trousers. In a behind-the-scenes documentary, Sean Connery recalled, “We filmed one of the zeppelin scenes, and all the passengers were in fur coats and hats because it’s supposed to be wintertime.”
Connery added, “I played it without my trousers. Harrison said, ‘You’re not going to play the scene without your trousers.’ I replied, ‘If I don’t, I’ll have to stop constantly because I sweat a lot and very easily.’ So, Harrison did the same.” It was especially tough for Connery, who wore a tweed three-piece suit throughout most of the movie. In contrast, Indy’s famous leather jacket seemed cooler in more ways than one.
Interestingly, the most famous scene in the movie is probably the one where Ford and Connery are tied back-to-back in the middle of a fire. You’d think that scene would have made them overheat, but it didn’t seem to be as much of an issue. Connery was only 59 years old when he filmed *The Last Crusade*, just 12 years older than Ford.
