Harrison Ford Snags First Emmy Nod For Role as a Therapist With Parkinson’s Disease in ‘Shrinking’

After starring in films like Star Wars, Indiana Jone, The Fugitive and Blade Runner – and even earning an Oscar nomination for Witness – there’s one accolade that’s eluded Harrison Ford until now at age 83: an Emmy nomination!

The prolific movie star is up for an Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series trophy for his stand-out performance as curmudgeonly therapist Dr. Paul Rhoades in the Apple TV+ series Shrinking. (Harrison will compete in the category with costar Michael Urie. The show also features Jason Segel and Jessica Williams.)

Much of the storyline centers on Paul’s Parkinson’s disease progression, delving into such issues as independence, fear, legacy, spirituality and mortality.

Apple TV+

“I describe [Parkinson’s] to my friends as a joke,” Harrison told People. “But there are people that absorb these kinds of experiences with grace and courage and a little bit of wisdom. And that is not to say that some people do not. It’s just to say that this is a person particularly equipped to communicate what it is that it is like, and that is something that I feel is worth sharing with our audience.”

And the audience relates to the character – and that Harrison is playing a medical professional in a role that goes much deeper than many of his other characters.

“It’s been a really remarkable experience for me, to have the people who see this work come up to me on the stress and say. ‘Hey, I just wanna tell you my whole family love Shrinking,’ and then they don’t want a picture,” says Harrison to Entertainment Tonight. “They want to tell me or somebody else to know that they’re sharing something of value. So it’s kind of a unique experience for me. I value it so much for that.”