‘Shrinking’: Jason Segel Had an Embarrassing Moment With Harrison Ford on His First Day
Jason Segel has left some interesting impressions on his Shrinking co-star, Harrison Ford. The two appear together as therapists in the new AppleTV+ comedy, with Ford’s Paul Rhodes serving as a mentor to Segel’s Jimmy Laird. In a recent interview about the show, Segel revealed that his first day on set included an embarrassing wardrobe moment with Ford.
Read on to see what Segel said. Plus, learn about another memorable moment Ford had regarding Segel’s outfit — or lack thereof.
How Harrison Ford ended up in the cast of ‘Shrinking’
Many fans of Ford likely know him from his film career. He has starred in the Indiana Jones franchise for decades, and he played Han Solo in the Star Wars films. Ford is also known for his roles in the Blade Runner and Jack Ryan films — all within the realm of action and adventure. So, one might wonder how he ended up in a comedy project for streaming TV. Even the creators behind Shrinking have trouble believing it.
Bill Lawrence and Brett Goldstein, who previously worked on AppleTV+’s hit comedy Ted Lasso, thought it was a long shot when they invited Ford to join the cast of Shrinking. They told The Hollywood Reporter that it came as a major surprise when Ford actually said yes.
“The only real thing for me was how ill-prepared I was to get anything but a no from Harrison Ford,” Lawrence said.
Goldstein added, “I was in London and he was filming Indiana Jones [and the Dial of Destiny], and I suddenly get a missed call, ‘Hey, it’s Harrison Ford.’ I was like, ‘What the f*** is happening?’ I went to his apartment to discuss it. And the discussion was very, very quick because he wanted to do it. I thought I’d be there to convince him. Nope.”
As it turned out, Ford was very interested in the character of Paul and what he could bring to Shrinking. Who knew that he and Segel would end up having great chemistry? Segel said they’re “best friends” now, but it all started with an awkward meeting on set.
Jason Segel was ‘really embarrassed’ by his first meeting with Harrison Ford
Segel went on to reveal that he would always have a wardrobe change as soon as he got to set. To save himself some time, he stopped picking out clothes to wear to set in the morning and just arrived in a “jumpsuit.” However, he wasn’t totally comfortable with anyone seeing him in the jumpsuit yet. Segel planned to arrive early and sneak into his trailer to change, but Ford caught him.
“The first day, I got there early and Harrison Ford was waiting outside my trailer to run lines, which I didn’t see coming. So, we started talking and he kept, like, eyeballing my jumpsuit. He would talk to me, but he kept looking down at it, and I said, ‘You checking out my flight suit, Harrison?’ And he said, ‘I sure am, kid,'” Segel said.
Though Segel was “really embarrassed” at the time, he arrived on set the next day to a hilarious surprise.
“I showed up and Harrison Ford was wearing a matching jumpsuit,” he added.
Harrison Ford already had a unique first impression of Jason Segel
Lucky for Segel, that image of him in a jumpsuit was not Ford’s first impression of the How I Met Your Mother star. In fact, it was quite the opposite.
During a Television Critics Association press tour, Lawrence revealed that Ford couldn’t recall who Segel was when they first discussed Shrinking, so Lawrence sent Ford some of Segel’s movies. One of those movies was Forgetting Sarah Marshall, which Segel wrote and starred in. For those who aren’t familiar with the film, one scene features a full-frontal shot of Segel completely nude. After watching Sarah Marshall, Ford sent his new co-star a memorable text.
“Harrison sent him a text, which I believe is now hanging on [Segel’s] wall,” Lawrence told the press, per Yahoo! Entertainment. “It says, basically, ‘Nice nude body. From Harrison.'”
Fans can hear from Ford himself what he really texted Segel in the video above — but be warned, it’s NSFW.
New episodes of Shrinking drop every Friday on AppleTV+.
