Harrison Ford inspires cast in comedy ‘Shrinking’

When Bill Lawrence was developing his new Apple TV+ comedy "Shrinking," he introduced one character in the pilot script as a "Harrison Ford-type" but never dreamed he would get the real deal.

Although the showrunner has had comedy success working with big names and executive-producing hits like "Scrubs," "Cougar Town" and "Ted Lasso," nabbing a huge movie star like Ford seemed unrealistic. But he decided to take a shot and send Ford the script.

He was gobsmacked when the "Indiana Jones" actor liked the story and eventually agreed to play the part of a tough therapist who works with star Jason Segel in a mental health practice.

"If he had not shown up on set, I would not have been shocked," Lawrence told the Associated Press in a recent interview.

"But he showed up. He's lovely, he's inspiring. He's 80 years old and still challenging himself."

For "Shrinking," which started streaming on Jan. 27, Lawrence teamed with Segel and writer Brett Goldstein (also Roy Kent in 'Ted Lasso') to help create and write the show. They had the lofty goal of making a comedy about grief, set it in an office shared by therapists and starring Segel, Ford, Jessica Williams, and Christa Miller.

Segel plays a character whose wife dies suddenly, leaving the father of a teen daughter lost and willing to ignore his ethics to start telling his patients what he really thinks. Ford's character is a curmudgeonly colleague and mentor who delivers zingers with restrained glee.

Lawrence calls working with Ford a "career highlight," and says there's only one downside.

"Everybody's terrified of… telling him to do anything," Lawrence said with a laugh. "But he's so much fun to work with.

Every scene gets ruined - at least one take - by me...