Harrison Ford Had One Question Before He Joined Apple TV's Shrinking

The pilot script for Apple TV's bittersweet dramedy "Shrinking" left Harrison Ford with one important question: "Am I in the next one a lot?"

This is according to series co-creator Bill Lawrence, as told to Variety in 2023. It happens to be the case that Dr. Paul Rhoades — curmudgeonly surrogate father figure to Jason Segel's wayward therapist, Jimmy Laird – doesn't have much screen time in the first episode.

"You're in whatever you want to be in, man," responded Lawrence, also known for "Scrubs" and "Ted Lasso." "You could be in every scene if you want. You tell me." 

Lawrence did not anticipate this conversation; when he sent the "Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones" icon the "Shrinking" pilot, he fully expected a rejection. Likewise, co-creator Brett Goldstein was also shocked to learn one of this century's most prominent leading men from adventure-action films wanted to play a side character on a show that's not quite a sitcom.

"I walked in and [Ford] said, 'Best script I've ever read.'" recalled Goldstein. "I saw a bunch of scripts on his table and I thought, 'He thinks I'm someone else. There are loads of scripts here. This is embarrassing.'" In fact, as Ford later told Variety, he was intrigued by the "Shrinking" pilot's "combination of pathos and comedy." He went on to snag a best supporting actor Emmy nomination for his performance as Paul in 2025.