Jason Segel Talks His Dream Role and What He's Learned Most from Harrison Ford (Exclusive)

Over the years, Jason Segel has taken on a variety of roles, from the lovable Marshall Eriksen in How I Met Your Mother to author David Foster Wallace in The End of the Tour. But there is one type of character that the actor would still like to check off. 

“I would like to play a really archvillain,” Segel tells Parade in an exclusive interview. “I think that I walk this line between charming and creepy, and I always kind of fall at the very end towards charming. But if I fell towards creepy, it could be really interesting.”

Whether it be a villain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe or Hannibal Lector, Segel just wants to portray someone “really bad,” but who “seems so nice.”

These days, Segel can been seen playing therapist Jimmy Laird in Shrinking, the acclaimed Apple TV+ series he co-created alongside Bill Lawrence and Brett Goldstein, which returned for its second season on Oct. 16. 

Related: Everything to Know About Season 2 of Shrinking

Since the first season, Jimmy “has grown like the rest of us, in fits and starts,” Segel says. “We get him to the end of Season 1, and it feels like, ‘Oh, he’s out of the hole.’ But, you know, life keeps life-ing, and he’s gonna have to now deal with a whole new batch of stuff, and ain’t that how it goes, right?”

The Forgetting Sarah Marshall star teased that the ending of Season 2 “packs as much punch as Season 1,” and that they already “have a plan for Season 3.”

Continue reading for more from Parade‘s exclusive interview with Jason Segel about Season 2 of Shrinking and what he’s learned from his costar Harrison Ford. 

What was your reaction to the positive response to the first season of Shrinking?
It’s an honor. You make something with all your guts and you hope that people like it. But sometimes you make something with your whole guts and people don’t like it. Doesn’t mean you tried any less hard. So when it goes well, it’s a really, really nice feeling.

Did the success and fan reactions have any influence on the direction you took this season?
I think it just affirmed our feeling that there was an appetite for exploring some hard subjects through comedy, that things like grief and forgiveness and trying to mend relationships, if done in a really funny way. It’s a really sweet spot.  

Related: Shrinking Star Jason Segel on the Best Advice He’s Received

Given how well the show was received, were there any risks that you Brett and Bill felt more confident taking in Season 2?
I think we were pretty risky going in. Season 1 opens with some pretty risky stuff. It’s a big swing right from the get-go. We tried to stick with that. We tried not to get less brave in success, which is something that can actually happen. But I feel really proud of what we made.

How do you think Jimmy has grown since last season?
I think Jimmy has grown like the rest of us: In fits and starts. We get him to the end of Season 1, and it feels like, “Oh, he’s out of the hole.” But, you know, life keeps life-ing, and he’s gonna have to now deal with a whole new batch of stuff, and ain’t that how it goes, right?  

Right. Everyone on the show has great chemistry, but you and Harrison are such a dynamic duo. Has a friendship evolved off-screen between the two of you? 
Yeah. That guy’s just the best. He’s a mentor and a friend and a confidant, and sometimes we just go and sit in the trailer together, real quiet-like. [Laughs.] It’s just really nice. I didn’t really expect this chapter of my life to be what it is, but it’s really cool.

Does he give great advice?
Yeah, he does. He really does. And he cares really deeply about the work, and so do I. I think that that’s inspiring to be around on both fronts. It’s nice to be in a place where people really care [because] you trade a lot of time to do this job. These things are long, and you’re away from your family. Why are you doing it? At this point in Harrison’s life, he doesn’t have to do anything, so it should be something that we all care about.

Related: Harrison Ford Says Shrinking Star Jason Segel Has a ‘Nice Penis’

What’s something that you’ve learned from him? 
I think the thing I’ve learned from Harrison is having some faith and confidence in yourself and your experience to know that it’s gonna be good. If you do your homework, it’s gonna be good, and you don’t have to stress. You don’t have to stress about that. Actually, you know what you’re doing.  

Harrison’s character Paul talks this season about the importance of facing your demons and dealing with your past. What do you think viewers can learn from Jimmy this season?
If there’s anything to learn from the show specifically, I think it’s that you stand a much better chance of getting through all this stuff with really good friends by your side.

Last season ended with a literal cliffhanger. Will Season 2 be ending just as unexpected?
Yes. I think Season 2, the ending packs as much punch as Season 1.

Really?
Yeah. Believe it.

I was so happy to see Brett on the show this season. Did it take some convincing to get him to guest star?
I don’t think it took convincing. I think it took like saying out loud the thing that we all knew, which is that Brett should play this part. Brett’s a very modest guy. It’s not necessarily how the part was originally conceived as we were pitching it out. But it was just so clear to me that that part should be Brett. 

I was curious if you had envisioned this type of role for him, if he was going to join the show.
I mean, he could have done anything he wanted. He’s a creator of the show. He could have been anything on it. I tend to think, especially as performers, we all have parts of ourselves that we believe that we haven’t had the chance to show yet. And I just thought it was. What better place for Brett to showcase how talented he is?

Related: Brett Goldstein on the Future of Ted Lasso and How He Really Feels About Working With Harrison Ford on Shrinking

Is there one part you feel like you haven’t shown of yourself?
Yes. I would like to play a really archvillain. I think that I walk this line between charming and creepy, and I always kind of fall at the very end towards charming, but if I fell towards creepy, it could be really interesting.

Are you picturing a villain in the MCU?
Sure. MCU, Hannibal Lecter, just somebody like really bad, but, you know, like “Oh, but he seems so nice.”

With Season 2 of Shrinking under your belt, what are you most excited about for Jimmy and the story as it moves forward? I know Bill has spoken about this possibly being a three-season show.
Yeah, I think that we’re kind of following some of the stages of grief as a template. If Season 1 was about grief itself, Season 2 is about forgiveness. And we have a plan for Season 3 as well. It’s just like watching someone get to the other side of something.

Related: Haaaaave You Met Ted? Laugh and Cry Along With These 75 How I Met Your Mother Quotes

Switching gears, next year is the 20th anniversary of the How I Met Your Mother premiere. Are there plans to mark the anniversary?
No. I’m only just finding out about this on this press tour. But that’s very exciting, isn’t it?

Yeah! If Marshall were one of Jimmy’s patients, what advice would you give him?
You know, honestly, I think Marshall’s the sweetest guy I’ve ever played. I don’t think that Jimmy should even be giving Marshall any advice. I think Marshall’s better than Jimmy in terms of purity of soul and spirit. He’s a sweet boy. Marshall’s a really sweet guy.  

The term “Jimmying” was coined this season [on Shrinking]. If “Jasoning” was a thing or a movement, what would it be? 
I think just going around being nice to everybody. But then being secretly creepy. [Laughs.]  

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

The second season of Shrinking premiered Oct. 16 with two episodes. New episodes will be released on Wednesdays through Dec. 25.