Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
From WQXR and Carnegie Hall comes Classical Music Happy Hour, a new podcast hosted by me, Pianist Maniacs. Each episode will speak with a special guest, listen to musical gems, play music-inspired games, and answer questions from our listeners. The first episode drops March 4th. Listen on the NPR app.
This is Fresh Air. I'm Terry Gross. Is there anyone who doesn't know who Harrison Ford is? Probably not. Not after starring in the original and the sequels of Star Wars, the Indiana Jones movies, and Blade Runner. He's in his 80s, but in the last three years, you might have seen him in the final Indiana Jones film, The Dial of Destiny.
the prequel to Yellowstone called 1923, and his current series, Shrinking. Three seasons of Shrinking are streaming on Apple TV, and it's been renewed for a fourth. He plays a therapist, Paul, who heads a practice that includes two other therapists, Jimmy, played by Jason Segel, and Gabby, played by Jessica Williams. Paul is at an age where most people have retired, but he doesn't want to.
At the same time, he thinks maybe he needs to. He has Parkinson's disease. At first, the symptoms were relatively minor, but they've progressed. His hands shake so much it's difficult to put the toothpaste onto the toothbrush. Even more problematic because it affects his work, his shaky hands are making it difficult to take notes when he's talking with patients.
Michael J. Fox is in a couple of episodes playing a man who has a more advanced case of Parkinson's and is very depressed. They first meet at a doctor's office where they're both patients. Paul is a gifted therapist, but it's hard for him to express emotion, and he has a dark and cynical sense of humor.
In this scene from the current season, season three, Paul has returned to work after taking some time off because a UTI was causing hallucinations. So this scene is from his first day back at work. He's telling Jimmy he thinks it might be time to retire.
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Chapter 2: What motivates Harrison Ford to continue acting in his 80s?
In the past, Paul had asked Jimmy to tell him when he thought it was time. Now Jason Segel's character Jimmy speaks first. Hey, how was your first day back?
Really great. I think it's time for me to stop being a therapist. Do you, Paul? I'm not going to fall for that one twice. No, I'm serious. It took going away and coming back to see it, but it's time, Jimmy. I'm supposed to tell you that it's time. Well, you can do that if you want.
It's time for you to retire, Paul. Okay. Not the way I saw this going in my head. I'm going to miss you. You mean so, so much to me. I've always wanted to tell you this one thing.
Oh, Jesus, Jimmy, please. I'm not leaving now. I've got patients to notify. I've got referrals to make. It'll take months to wind down this practice. You only get to say goodbye once, and it's not today. Come on, I want pizza on the way home. Let's go. Go!
Harrison Ford, welcome to Fresh Air. It's such an honor to speak with you. Thank you for being here.
Oh, how kind of you.
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Chapter 3: How does Harrison Ford's character in 'Shrinking' reflect his real-life challenges?
Thank you for having me.
Some people are surprised that you're continuing to act, you know, in your 80s. And Paul says, after his Parkinson's has gotten worse, and he's thinking of retiring, he says, I love my job more than anything, and I don't know who I am without it. Do you relate to that, or do you know who you are without your work?
Yeah, I guess I do. But without my work, I really wouldn't know what to do with myself, really.
With your time?
Well, I suppose I could fill my time, but I don't know what else I might do that would give me the kind of satisfaction and the kind of challenge that the work I'm doing does give me. I really do love the work.
I don't blame you. It seems like it would be so fulfilling.
Well, it constantly changes, and the people change, and the mission and the opportunity change, and it just makes for an interesting way to live your life.
And I love that you play your age because it's frustrating when like a beautiful woman plays somebody who's ugly by just not wearing as much makeup, but she's never ugly. Or a younger person has to play an older person by putting on prosthetics. Like we have talented people who look like they're supposed to look. Can we cast them, please?
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Chapter 4: What insights does Harrison Ford share about living with Parkinson's disease?
Yeah.
Well, I felt that way when I was de-aged in Indiana Jones. But sometimes it works, and I thought it worked in Indiana Jones, that de-aging part. But I'm happy to be the age I am, and I have no impulse to hide it.
Well, speaking of Indiana Jones, so Dial of Destiny was like 2023 it was released. And, you know, you're still like super strong and agile in that. And then you had to go from that to not long after doing shrinking. And so in shrinking, you're physically compromised because of the Parkinson's disease, right?
What was it like for you and your body to be action hero strong and then your hand is shaking too much to take notes?
Well, I mean, it starts with the head of the character, what's in his head. what's in his mind, and I'm always aware of this physicalization of a character. And the Parkinson's, or the various symptoms of Parkinson's, do help characterize Paul. And so it's an opportunity to use another means to create the character.
Michael J. Fox is in the series, and you meet at a doctor's office. He's really depressed. Did he give you advice about how to play the role? Nope. Really? You didn't ask him for advice?
No.
Because every case is different, and my case is not yet described to me fully. My writers present symptomology and characteristics as they are writing. And so I'm sort of living with the symptoms I have been last described as having.
Yeah, I mean, the thing about Parkinson's is that it affects everything, but it affects different parts of it. There's a whole long list of things it affects, but everybody gets a different number of them and a different variation of them.
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