Harrison Ford, 82, says he should be 'sitting on my a--,' but loves working
Harrison Ford is not ready to slow down anytime soon.
In a recent interview with GQ, the 82-year-old actor spoke about his decades-long career in Hollywood, including his latest project, "Shrinking," in which he plays Paul, a therapist suffering from Parkinson's disease. While many people his age have already retired from their careers, Ford has no plans to stop acting in the near future.
"I suppose I should be sitting on my a--, but I actually love working," he told the outlet.
Throughout his six decades in the entertainment industry, Ford has originated many iconic characters, including Han Solo from the original "Star Wars" trilogy and Indiana Jones from the legendary adventure franchise, starting with "Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark" in 1981.
HARRISON FORD LOVES BEING OLD DESPITE CHALLENGES: 'I DON'T WANT TO BE YOUNG AGAIN'
What keeps Ford coming back is the opportunity to keep telling powerful stories, explaining to GQ "the quality of the writing" — like the one in "Shrinking" — is very important to him when it comes to picking which roles he will take.
"It’s the quality of writing," he explained. "It doesn’t matter what the genre is. It doesn’t matter whether it’s on television or in movies. It’s the writing, it’s the story, it’s the character, it’s the emotional experience for an audience or for myself. It’s people that I have some feeling that I want to work with, or it’s a quality opportunity."
The "American Graffiti" star first appeared as Paul in the Apple TV+ comedy "Shrinking" in 2023. The show also stars Jason Segal as Jimmy, a grieving therapist navigating his career while trying to raise his teenage daughter. When both Jimmy's career and personal life go off the rails, Paul must step in to give him a necessary reality check.
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"It seems a difficult thing to do, but it was done with grace and charm, and I thought it was successful when I read the script that was given to me by Brett Goldstein," Ford said. "And it was something that I immediately was attracted to because of its success in both the areas of drama and comedy. It was an unusual character for me to play, I thought."
The "Star Wars" actor also has another project in the works. Ford has signed on to play Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross, a.k.a. Red Hulk, in the new Marvel movie, "Captain America: Brave New World," which is set to premiere in February 2025.
When speaking about entering the Marvel universe, Ford called himself "a sailor new to this town," going on to note he is "participating in a new part of the business," which audiences seem to be enjoying.
"You certainly have to be aware of your business profile, but I always thought when I was working more, and the business was sort of supporting working more, I would do one for them and one for me," he told GQ. "That is, I’d do something that I just really wanted to do because of the people involved or the subject matter or the character, and then I’d do one that I think would be a popular success because I think that’s important also."
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Season 2 of "Shrinking" is set to premiere on Oct. 16 on Apple TV+.