Harrison Ford is one of the most well-known and beloved actors working today, having played several iconic action heroes,
but his more meditative role in Shrinking is unlike anything he has done before.
Harrison Ford became an instant movie star thanks to his performance as Han Solo in Star Wars,
and ever since Raiders of the Lost Ark, has proved time and again that it would be impossible to make an Indiana Jones movie without him.
The actor has magnetism and charisma that few modern movie stars can match, but has now made a major jump into television and streaming.
Harrison Ford’s Shrinking has become rather controversial,
as the new Apple TV+ comedy follows Jason Segel’s Jimmy Laird, a therapist who becomes too close with his patients after his wife’s death. Jimmy often turns to his wiser, more focused colleague, Ford’s Dr. Paul Rhoades, for advice, but it does not always turn out well. Paul has issues of his own, as he has Parkinson’s disease and refuses to let his colleagues help him. Ford’s thoughtful performance as Dr. Rhoades is completely different from any previous movie role, but is arguably one of his best.
Though Ford is best known for playing action heroes like Indiana Jones and Han Solo, and can even be seen playing a heroic cowboy in another current TV series, 1923, Paul could not be more different from those figures. Harrison Ford acting roles are traditionally in action adventures where his character saves the day, but Shrinking sees Ford playing a more meditative character. That is almost literal, as Paul takes 15 minutes to listen to his favorite music and grieve every single day. Despite the dramatic break from type, Ford has never been more engaging and relatable.
While every actor in Shrinking delivers a powerful performance and the scripts are incredibly well-written, it is Ford who steals the show every time he appears onscreen. Though Ford has been in movies that span many different genres, he remains typecast as the harsh, overbearing, authoritative figure, even in comedies like Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues. Paul still has elements of previous Harrison Ford western characters, such as being reserved and closed off, but the therapist is also considerate, thoughtful, and kind. Ford has always been a great performer, but more than almost any of his other roles, Shrinking proves he has range as an actor.
Since Paul is a therapist, he is forced to listen and be understanding to others – something that, accurately or otherwise, does not exactly match the overall public perception of Harrison Ford in real life. In the very first episode of Shrinking, Paul discusses “compassion fatigue,” when people become fed up and impatient with listening to other people’s problems. As Harrison Ford is known for his macho movie roles, the actor’s reputation has merged with those characters’ stoic qualities in real life.
Ford generally has an imposing and intimidating manner, sometimes coming across as short or ill-tempered in interviews and during press junkets. Given his disinterest in discussing Star Wars with devoted fans, Paul might describe Ford’s attitude as “compassion fatigue.” Regardless of whether this generalized belief tallies with Ford behind-the-scenes, however, his Shrinking character remains exactly the opposite of what is expected from Harrison Ford.
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