Indiana Jones star Karen Allen, 71, is unrecognizable as she makes cameo in Harrison Ford's new sequel - 42 YEARS after they played on-screen lovers in Raiders of the Lost Ark

  • Karen, now 71, played Harrison Ford's love interest in the original film
  • She's now going to reprise her role as Marion Ravenwood for the new flick
  • Called Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, it's set to premiere this Friday

Get ready to take a walk down memory lane because the upcoming fifth and final instalment to the Indiana Jones franchise is set to include an epic cameo from Karen Allen - the actress who played the titular character's love interest in the original flick more than four decades ago.

Karen, now 71, was shot to stardom when she starred as Marion Ravenwood in Raiders of the Lost Ark 42 years ago - when she was only 29 - and she's now reprising the role for the brand new film, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, which will premiere this Friday.

She graced the red carpet at the Los Angeles premiere for the movie last week, and the actress certainly looked very different from when she first captured the nation as Marion all those years prior.

Karen reflected on reuniting with her on-screen costar Harrison Ford while chatting with People magazine at the event, gushing, 'We have a lot of fun together.'

The upcoming fifth and final instalment to the Indiana Jones franchise will include an epic cameo from Karen Allen (pictured with Harrison Ford in the original 1981 movie)

The upcoming fifth and final instalment to the Indiana Jones franchise will include an epic cameo from Karen Allen (pictured with Harrison Ford in the original 1981 movie)

The actress (seen in the 1981 movie), now 71, was shot to stardom when she starred as the titular character's love interest in Raiders of the Lost Ark 42 years ago
The actress (seen recently), now 71, was shot to stardom when she starred as the titular character's love interest in Raiders of the Lost Ark 42 years ago

The actress (seen left in the 1981 movie and right recently), now 71, was shot to stardom when she starred as the titular character's love interest in Raiders of the Lost Ark 42 years ago

She graced the red carpet at the Los Angeles premiere for the movie last week (seen), and the actress certainly looked different from when she first played Marion Ravenwood years ago

She graced the red carpet at the Los Angeles premiere for the movie last week (seen), and the actress certainly looked different from when she first played Marion Ravenwood years ago

She added: 'When we first worked together, we were both pretty young, but we've had marriages and children. 

'I think we've all kind of grown and matured and lived interesting lives along the way that have really affected who we are as people.'

Karen reflected on reuniting with her on-screen costar Harrison while chatting with People magazine at the event, gushing, 'We have a lot of fun together.' They're seen together in Raiders of the Lost Ark

Karen reflected on reuniting with her on-screen costar Harrison while chatting with People magazine at the event, gushing, 'We have a lot of fun together.' They're seen together in Raiders of the Lost Ark

Karen made her acting debut in National Lampoon's Animal House in 1978, but it was her role in Raiders that truly propelled her into the spotlight.

Her other big acting credits since then have included the John Carpenter flick Starman, the holiday classic Scrooged, and the comedy The Sandlot. 

She made a brief appearance in 2008's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which saw her and Harrison's character reuniting and walking down the aisle together in the last moments.

When it was first announced that Harrison would be returning to play the adventurer one more time for Dial of Destiny - many were dying to know if Karen would appear in the film. 

She stayed tight lipped about it until last week, giving vague answers to numerous outlets who pressed her on the topic - and her name was not listed on the official cast list until recently.

But now, to fans' delight, she has finally confirmed that she's going to return after many months of speculation. 

She added: 'When we first worked together, we were both pretty young, but we've had marriages and children. We've all kind of grown and matured'

She added: 'When we first worked together, we were both pretty young, but we've had marriages and children. We've all kind of grown and matured'

Karen made a brief appearance in 2008's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (seen), which ended with her and Harrison's character walking down the aisle together

Karen made a brief appearance in 2008's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (seen), which ended with her and Harrison's character walking down the aisle together

When it was first announced that there would be one more Indiana Jones movie - many were curious if Karen (seen with Harrison in 2008) would appear in the film

When it was first announced that there would be one more Indiana Jones movie - many were curious if Karen (seen with Harrison in 2008) would appear in the film

While speaking to NPR recently, Karen dished on what it was really like to film the now-famous scene where she and Harrison's character are surrounded by tons of snakes

While speaking to NPR recently, Karen dished on what it was really like to film the now-famous scene where she and Harrison's character are surrounded by tons of snakes

While speaking to NPR ahead of the new movie, Karen dished on what it was really like to film the now-famous scene in which she and Harrison's character are surrounded by tons of snakes in the first Indiana Jones flick.

She revealed that they used real reptiles - 6,000 of them, in fact - when making the movie, but that it wasn't as scary as you'd imagine because they were harmless. 

'Those were real snakes, 6,000 snakes. It was pre-CGI,' she said. 'I am not fortunately particularly frightened of snakes.

Karen (seen at the premiere last week) revealed that they used real reptiles - 6,000 of them, in fact - but that it wasn't as scary as you'd imagine since they were harmless

Karen (seen at the premiere last week) revealed that they used real reptiles - 6,000 of them, in fact - but that it wasn't as scary as you'd imagine since they were harmless

'[They used] a kind of snake called a glass snake - you could put your finger in its mouth and it wouldn't bite you.'

However, she recalled some of the animals escaping from the set and slithering over to other areas of the studio, which wasn't ideal. 

'We were filming in London at the time and... there were three or four other films shooting at the studio,' she continued.

'The snakes would get off our set and onto other people's sets. They would go crawling across the set.'

An official synopsis of the upcoming fifth Indiana Jones movie, which was directed by James Mangold, reads: 'Daredevil archaeologist Indiana Jones races against time to retrieve a legendary dial that can change the course of history. 

'Accompanied by his goddaughter, he soon finds himself squaring off against Jürgen Voller, a former Nazi who works for NASA.'

It will also star Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Antonio Banderas, John Rhys-Davies, Shaunette Renee Wilson, Thomas Kretschmann, and Toby Jones.

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