I think those movie moments work best when they are rooted in something that is really painful. This is what I’ve always felt like with comedy: it really works best when you feel like that is you. If you can create the sense, leading up to the moment of, “Oh, in this moment, I’m that guy.”
We’re all that guy projectile vomiting on the piano.
We’re all the person who sets out with the best of intentions and isn’t able to do it at that moment.
Of course, I thought of the “Peter, you suck” piano scene in Forgetting Sarah Marshall. And you wrote and starred in The Muppets. Is there a dream musical project you still want to do?
Yeah. I have an idea that I’ve had for a long time that I just need people to be excited about doing. I would like to do a special of [my Forgetting Sarah Marshall character] Peter Bretter bringing A Taste For Love to Broadway. Almost like what Lin-Manuel Miranda did with Hamilton, that special about the making of. I would love to see that, but for Peter Bretter taking the Dracula puppet musical to Broadway.
Oh my God. Starting pitching that around immediately.
Yeah, deal.
In this episode, it’s revealed that Jimmy and Tia actually weren’t in a good place before she died, and that’s one of the things contributing to him holding onto his grief the way he does. What went into writing that revelation?
Life’s complicated. I venture to say that in almost any relationship if, all of a sudden, a partner died, there would be a lot of, “Oh no, this was still on the table.” It was really important to hit that part. We wanted the show to feel honest and complicated, and I’m really proud of it.
I don’t reflect on the stuff afterwards very often. I try to retreat back here to my little country town where acting isn’t the headline of my life. But I’m feeling increasingly proud of it. There’s a lot of real world on-the-street feedback and it’s all been really nice and appreciative of how complicated the show is.
Have you heard from any therapists about it?
I had a therapist come up to me at dinner the other day and say, “Hey, I’m watching the show. God, I love it.” And I was like, “Yeah, sorry about some of the unorthodox therapy methods.” And she was like, “No, it’s how all of us feel. We wish we could just shake them.”
Were you guys always planning to have him and Gabby unexpectedly hook up?
Yes. I feel like, given our compatible heights, it was almost impossible not to. When you put two people of compatible age who are single in a super close dynamic on screen together, it’s always going to be part of the energy.
This is Harrison Ford’s first comedy show. And it has a ton of un-Harrison Ford moments. For instance, when you make him say the words “rawdogging” in this episode. What’s your favorite Harrison Ford story from filming?
