The Shrinking Star: A Story of Isolation and Pizza Deliveries

Actor Harrison Ford has detailed his experience with severe depression during his time as a college student in the early 1960s, a struggle he kept private for many years.

Speaking on The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast, the 83-year-old actor described a period of intense isolation while attending Ripon College.

Ford explained that he frequently shut himself off from other people during this period, spending much of his time confined to his room.

I would get up out of my single bed, go to a phone, order a pizza, go back and lay down in bed until the pizza came. I would eat the pizza, throw the wrappers in the corner, go back to sleep

Harrison Ford via The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast

The actor noted that the depression made it difficult to engage with his academic responsibilities. Ford recalled that there were days when he would reach the door of a classroom building, touch the door, and then turn around and walk back without ever going inside.

Transition to Acting

Ford found a way out of this isolation through an accidental enrollment in a drama class. He stated that this experience provided him with a sense of belonging and solace, which helped him overcome the depression and transform his life.

This personal history with mental health aligns with the themes of his recent work in the Apple TV+ comedy-drama series Shrinking.

The series, which features Ford in a starring role, focuses on themes of mental health and personal struggle. Ford’s openness about his college years provides context to his involvement in the production.

Ford has spent more than five decades in the industry, becoming a global figure through iconic roles in the Star Wars franchise as Han Solo and the Indiana Jones series.