Harrison Ford reveals Michael J. Fox is ‘essential’ for his work on ‘Shrinking’

Michael J. Fox made a surprising move when he came out of retirement to star in the third season of the show Shrinking with Harrison Ford.

Ford’s character has Parkinson’s disease, which is something Fox was diagnosed with back in 1991.

When asked if it was helpful to have the icon on set, Ford told Variety, “It’s been essential. Michael’s courage, his fortitude and his grace, more than anything else, is on full display.”

He went on to say that Fox is a “very smart, very brave, noble, generous, passionate guy, and an example to all of us, whether we’re facing Parkinson’s or not,” adding that everyone “cannot help but recognize how amazing it is to have such grace.”

Ford takes on the role of Dr. Paul Rhoades in the show, a senior therapist who works at the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Center and gets diagnosed with Parkinson’s.

Fox has given Ford “both a physical representation of the disease to inform myself with, but more than that, he allows me to believe that Paul could believe that he could be adequate to the challenge,”

About the disease, the actor remarked, “The truth is that we can’t be f****** around with this just to make a joke or anything. Parkinson’s is not funny. And I want to get it right. It’s necessary to be correct with what we do in respect of the challenge that Parkinson’s represents, and that we don’t use it for its entertainment value.”

RELATED: Michael J. Fox influenced Jason Segel in ‘How I Met Your Mother’