Harrison Ford Reveals Past Depression Struggle: 'Psychologically Not Well'

Harrison Ford is opening up about struggling with depression before acting “changed” his life.

The 83-year-old actor, who now plays a therapist on Shrinking, opened up about his own mental health issues while sitting down for an interview with The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast.

He explained that they first hit when he was a student at Ripon College in Wisconsin, sharing that he “rarely ventured out” of his single dorm room at the time. “I would get up out of my single bed, go to a phone, order a pizza, go back and lie down in bed until the pizza came,” shared Ford.

“I would eat the pizza, throw the wrappers in the corner, go back to sleep,” he recalled.

Ford went on to say that on the “rare occasion” he would try and go to class, he “would often touch the door on the outside of the building and turn around and walk back.”

“I was more than depressed. I think I was ill. I was socially ill, psychologically not well,” Ford said of his mental state at the time.

What Turned It Around for Ford

The actor explained that “accidentally” enrolling in a drama class is, ultimately, what started to turn things around for him.

“It started out in the description talking about reading and analyzing plays, but I didn't read the part where it said that you had to actually be in them as well, so that was a surprise,” Ford said of why he signed up for the class in the first place. He added that he hoped the class would help boost his then-dismal GPA.

“I’d never done anything like that. And I was surprised that the people that I had considered to be fellow geeks and misfits were, in fact, some of the most interesting people I knew,” he continued.

“They were doing something that I hadn’t really understood, and they were telling stories about life, and some of them were exceptional in their capacity to understand human behavior,” added Ford.

Looking back, the actor said that, in the class, he “simply found my place amongst storytellers”—before concluding, “It really changed my world, changed my life.”

Massive Success Followed

Ford’s big break would come about a decade later, when he appeared in George Lucas’ American Graffiti. That, of course, was later followed by another Lucas blockbuster: Star Wars, in 1977.

With that, his career was booming, with roles in the sequels, as well as headlining the Indiana Jones films. He later appeared in hits including Blade Runner,Witness, The Fugitive, was nominated for an Oscar for his work in 1985’s Witness, and received an Emmy nom last year for his work on Shrinking.

Most recently, in March 2026, he received SAG-AFTRA’s annual Life Achievement Award.

What’s Next for Ford?

After recently reprising his roles as Han Solo and Indiana Jones, headlining a Marvel movie as the Red Hulk in Captain America: Brave New World, and starring in TV roles in both 1923 and Shrinking, Ford has kept very busy into his 80s.

During a recent panel at an Apple TV press event, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Ford said he’d be okay ending his career with Shrinking.

“Where do you go from here? The kind of work that we’re able to do is remarkable given the tools we have to work with, and the notion that lies behind this series. And if it was all over here, that would be sufficient,” he said.

“This has been a different kind of job for me, and I’ve been doing this for a long time,” Ford added “This is very special and it really nurtures me and makes me feel like what we’re doing has value and importance. I look for that in my life and I’m happy to have found it here.”

Shrinking Season 3 is airing now on Apple TV+ and has already been renewed for a fourth season.