Raiders Of The Lost Ark’s Karen Allen Fought Against Marion Becoming A ‘Damsel In Distress’

In honor of the 40th anniversary of Raiders of the Lost Ark, the first of Indiana Jones’ big screen adventures, and the 4K Ultra HD release of the entire series, the actress spoke to CinemaBlend about her best-known character – a feisty bar owner and the daughter of Indy’s former mentor who joins him in a race against the Nazis to find a powerful biblical artifact in Cairo. Allen ended up becoming very instrumental in the evolution of Marion Ravenwood from the pages of Lawrence Kasdan’s script to the screen, thanks to her theatre-based training and director Steven Spielberg’s willingness for collaboration.

Karen Allen provided further insight into how and why she fought to develop Marion into the strong, independent character she is known for today here: