Harrison Ford, the iconic star of Indiana Jones and Star Wars, will no longer be presenting at the 97th Academy Awards. His withdrawal comes after a diagnosis of shingles, a viral infection that causes a painful rash, which he received on February 28123. Ford officially stepped down from his role on Saturday morning, just hours before the ceremony.
The 82-year-old actor was initially set to join a star-studded lineup of presenters, including Halle Berry, Penélope Cruz, Elle Fanning, Whoopi Goldberg, Scarlett Johansson, John Lithgow, Amy Poehler, June Squibb, Bowen Yang, Emma Stone, Cillian Murphy, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Robert Downey Jr., Dave Bautista, Gal Gadot, Andrew Garfield, Samuel L. Jackson, Margaret Qualley, Alba Rohrwacher, Zoe Saldaña, and Rachel Zegler. Recent additions to the presenter list include Miles Teller and Miley Cyrus.
Despite Ford’s absence, the Oscars will still be a major event, hosted by Conan O’Brien and airing live on ABC and Hulu for the first time. The ceremony is executive produced by Raj Kapoor, Katy Mullan, and Rob Pain, with Hamish Hamilton serving as director.
Ford has been active in the entertainment industry recently, starring in the Apple TV+ series Shrinking and attending the Screen Actors Guild Awards, where he humorously interrupted his co-star Jessica Williams during a segment. His withdrawal from the Oscars is a precautionary measure to focus on his recovery from shingles, which, although not life-threatening, can cause significant discomfort.
Related topics:
