Harrison Ford Explains He Keeps Acting For The “Essential Human Contact”: “It’s Fun”

Don’t expect Harrison Ford to announce his retirement anytime soon.

The Oscar nominee recently explained why he remains active in his onscreen career at 82 as he returns for Season 2 of the Apple TV+ series Shrinking, which premieres Oct. 16 on the streaming platform.

“Oh man, I get out of it essential human contact,” Ford told Vanity Fair. “I get to imagine with people that have great skill and experience…. It’s fun to work with these people.”

Shrinking follows grieving therapist Jimmy (Jason Segel), who starts to break the rules and tell his clients exactly what he thinks. Ignoring his training and ethics, he finds himself making huge, tumultuous changes to people’s lives … including his own.

Ford stars as Jimmy’s mentor Dr. Paul Rhoades, who comes to terms with his Parkinson’s diagnosis in Season 2 after sparking a romance with his neurologist Dr. Julie Baram (Wendie Malick).

The actor told Vanity Fair about the show’s delicate balance between humor and drama. “You really believe that the character believes what he’s talking about,” said Ford. “When they have such range and depth, you can get away with the kind of humor that we do and have it serve both the serious purposes and the entertainment that we hope to bring.”

Ford added, “I think we know these people. We know them deeply, more deeply than normally. We know the depth of their emotional situation. It allows the comedy to be more real. Or feel more real.”

Created by Bill Lawrence, Brett Goldstein and Segel, the series also stars Christa Miller, Jessica Williams, Luke Tennie, Michael Urie and Ted McGinley. Goldstein appears a special guest star in Season 2.

Ford’s appearance in Season 2 comes after he reprised one of his most iconic roles last year in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. He also makes his MCU debut next year in Captain America: Brave New World, premiering Feb. 14, 2025.