Between starring as Brian on Apple TV’s hit comedy Shrinking and recently lighting up the West End in Oh, Mary!, Michael Urie is living the dream — albeit with a bit of bicoastal whiplash. Fresh off his second Emmy nomination for Best Comedy Supporting Actor for Shrinking, Urie opened up about the intensity of pulling double duty.
“The highs and lows of this business are crazy,” he tells Gold Derby. “It’s so wild. I was in deep depression while I was in London missing Shrinking and I’m in deep depression doing Shrinking, missing Oh, Mary! I know when it’s 7:30 in London they’re doing the show. They’re getting laughs from the audience and someone’s seeing it for the first time and getting their life changed. That’s the cool thing about theater — the phones are off and everyone’s fully present. I would love to be there. I wish I could be in two places at once.”
Despite the frantic schedule, Urie remains deeply grateful to play Jason Segel’s best friend, Brian, on the acclaimed series — which also stars Harrison Ford, Christa Miller, Jessica Williams, Lukita Maxwell, Ted McGinley, and Luke Tennie.
“Every episode, they manage to grow all of us in some way,” Urie says of the show’s writing team. “We all grow and change every episode. Even if it’s a tiny little bit, there’s something for all of us.”
Urie sat down with Gold Derby to discuss the upcoming Season 4, surprise guest stars, and trying to figure out what co-star Harrison Ford is wearing to the Emmys.
Gold Derby: In the upcoming Season 4 of Shrinking, Brian is now a father to a toddler. What can you tease about where we find him?
Michael Urie: Well, there’s not a ton I can talk about, but yes, we’re jumping in time two years. So my baby’s now a toddler. A lot has happened to all the characters in this two-year jump. At the end of Season 3, he was finally starting to put others first. I think that having a child, being a father is a very grounding thing for him in a really lovely way. When we pick up in Season 4, again, a lot’s happened that I can’t really say, but we will see his journey continue and we will see new hurdles along the way.
What has the shift been like going from acting alongside a baby to working with a toddler on set?
Well, I love working with both of them. But a baby, it’s just a baby, a squishy little prop and so I loved holding a baby. It’s like you just can’t be false. You’re holding a baby. Then if the baby cries, you just get a fresh baby. So it was really great for me. Now having a toddler is also great because they can do so much more, but they don’t really understand what’s going on. They don’t know that they’re acting or on a TV show. I got to be part of the audition process for the babies. I mean, really, they just wanted me there to make sure I didn’t scare anyone away.
Congratulations on the Emmy nomination! You submitted Episode 3 [“D-Day”] — what made that specific episode so special to you?
It’s such a big day for Brian. I love when we get to play monumental moments for characters on the show because it’s sweet that everyone’s a part of it. This group of friends and this chosen family are there for the big moments. And so I got to work with everybody that episode. I have great scenes with Ted McGinley and wonderful scenes with Jason and Christa. Devin Kawaoka, who plays my husband gets to be there. The thing that Shrinking does so well is where a scene will be very funny and then also very touching in the same scene. I got some of that in the hospital. It felt like this was a huge moment for Brian and for me as an actor, I got to play lots of colors.”
I know you said you spoke with Harrison Ford when you both learned of your nominations. What is it like working in alongside him?
What’s great about him is it doesn’t phase him. I mean, I know that he’s happy to be nominated and he’s certainly happy for the show getting all that recognition. But when we’re working, he loves to talk about the work and so he doesn’t want to talk about it. I can sometimes get him to talk about who he’s wearing to the Emmys. Even though he is a movie star, even though he’s our hero, he’s an actor. He’s a journeyman actor, and he treats every scene like it’s the first scene he’s ever done. It’s so cool to work with someone like that, that’s been around, played everything, and still learning.
Do you have a dream guest star you’d love to have on the show or someone you’ve been trying to manifest?
Yes, I do. And maybe we’ve been able to manifest some things. I’m not allowed to say yet. But yes, there are some exciting unannounced guests coming. Michael J. Fox is back and Christian Slater’s joining the show. They do a really cool thing on the show where they like to pair up old co-stars. Cobie Smulders came in for Jason, and they’ve done that a few times, and they like doing that. I would love for there to be someone from my past that shows up.
