If you think about Jason Segel’s larger filmography, this vulnerability has always been present. He’s done things that not every comedic actor has the gusto to do. Take, for example, the full-frontal nudity he did for the 2008 comedy “Forgetting Sarah Marshall.” This particular instance of his ability to let go of his pride has stuck with him over the years, as well.
“I think the best I was able to express vulnerability was literally in ‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall,’ full-frontal nudity,” Segel said during the panel. “But I think that as I’ve gotten older, and there are moments in [‘Shrinking’] that are the same level of vulnerability, but a more mature version with [my character’s] emotional vulnerability.”
That same vulnerability is at the center of “Shrinking.” Segel stars in the series as Jimmy, a therapist who continues to grieve his deceased wife a year after her death. In a radically new approach, he’s decided to give his honest opinions to his patients. While this new and somewhat improved Jimmy is changing the lives of his patients and himself, a more traditional psychiatrist named Paul (the one and only Harrison Ford) is hot on his heels. The show also stars Jessica Williams, Michael Urie, Lukita Maxwell, Christa Miller, Luke Tennie, and Lilan Bowden.
“Shrinking” premieres on Apple TV+ on January 27, 2023.