With roles like Han Solo, Indiana Jones, Rick Deckard, Richard Kimble, Jack Ryan, and more, most would agree that Harrison Ford is the GOAT. And, in recent years, he’s only bolstered that with his almost unfathomably hilarious and human role as Dr. Paul Rhoades on the Apple TV show Shrinking. It’s some of the best work of Ford’s entire career, which is saying a lot. Paul is flawed, funny, angry, and grounded. A real human being. But that changed for just a moment this week.
On the show, which is currently in the middle of its third season, Paul has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. He’s struggled with it for several episodes, but in the most recent one, “The Field,” he returns to work as a therapist. And his return made us laugh, pause, rewind, and contemplate. Here it is.
Yes, that’s Harrison Ford as his Shrinking character singing John Williams’ theme music for Indiana Jones. It’s a lovely meta moment, but also a curious one. Unless Paul is a musical genius, his humming that music suggests Indiana Jones exists in the Shrinking universe. And, if Indy isn’t Harrison Ford, then who is he?
To be clear, we don’t know. We are almost 100% sure the show will not address it, nor is it in any way important. But we love to geek out about this kind of stuff, so let’s do just that.
Clearly, the most obvious choice would be Tom Selleck. Selleck was famously George Lucas and Steven Spielberg’s first choice to play the role, but had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts with his hit TV show, Magnum P.I. However, if we’re only removing Ford from the equation here, Tom Selleck is still Tom Selleck, so he would have run into the same scheduling conflicts. So, who would Lucas and Spielberg have turned to next if not Ford?
History tells us that several other young actors of that generation auditioned and were considered. Maybe Tim Matheson, the star of Animal House and The West Wing? Spielberg had already cast him in 1941, so clearly he was a fan. Peter Coyote, who went on to be cast in E.T., was apparently also another option.
Or, if we’re going less literal and historical, maybe Harrison Ford not playing Indiana Jones had an even greater butterfly effect. Maybe Christopher Reeve did double duty as Superman and Indy. Maybe Bill Murray got serious a little sooner or just gave us a much goofier Indy. Or Burt Reynolds brought that Selleck-mustache energy to the fedora.
Of course, as the clip says, Harrison Ford is the GOAT, and the real answer is no one could replace him. Which is why we love that he can be so playful about his life and career on Shrinking.
Let us know what you think of this little moment below. Oh, and also, if you aren’t watching Shrinking, it is, without a doubt, one of the best shows on any streaming service. Ford is a big reason why, but the cast from top to bottom is stellar. It’s funny, beautiful, and moving. We highly recommend it.
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