River Phoenix played the teenage Indiana Jones in the opening sequence of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
The film opens in 1912 with a young Indiana discovering a group of grave robbers stealing a valuable artifact. His attempt to recover it introduces several traits that later define the adult character, including courage, curiosity, and a willingness to take dangerous risks. The sequence also explains how Indiana acquired his distinctive fedora and facial scar.
Phoenix played the younger version of the character, while Harrison Ford played Indiana as an adult. The opening story is a flashback rather than a separate adventure occurring after the main plot. Phoenix was already famous for films including Stand by Me and My Own Private Idaho when Last Crusade was released in 1989. The actor should not be confused with Joaquin Phoenix, his younger brother, who did not play Indiana Jones.