Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1507937
4 2 P E R S P E C T I V E | S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 2 3 challenges with Parkinson's Disease as a practicing therapist. Harrison came into our therapy office set having just spent time observing and getting to know Phil Stutz, and he wanted to share and discuss his findings. Harrison was soon turning 80 years old and yet is so physical and agile that he was jumping around the room like someone much younger. Up and down, testing chairs, the sofa, the coat rack, the lamps, he started pacing the room and counting the number of steps it took to connect key playing areas. Years ago, Michael J. Fox taught me how to size an interior set to perfectly accommodate the number of footsteps he needed to walk between the setup of a joke and where he delivered the punchline. What he used to call 'the blow.' It's an art and a science and I could see Harrison was picking up on that energy in the room and seemed very pleased with his surroundings. He looked over to Jason Segal with a big grin and said—"see, mine is bigger." In fact, Paul's set was purposefully intended to be the grander prototype for Jimmy's and Gaby's offices—he's the boss and founder of the firm. Desk area for work, sofa and seating area for therapy sessions. Harrison was very focused on the chairs in the room. He told us that due to Parkinson's Disease, the real Phil does pushups off his chairs and low cabinets between sessions to keep his arms and body from locking up. Harrison wanted chairs with steel arms for support and we built a custom height credenza in the middle of the room as a platform that he could push off of as well. He had great ideas about Jungian art and requested a specific brand of bicycle be placed in his sets. He wanted his office to be a visual cipher in terms of personal clues, so his home becomes the big reveal of personal information, taste and history. His focus and clarity about developing his character was all very impressive and helpful. So, then Harrison turned to me and said—"OK, this is all great, BUT—let's talk about my apartment set"—suddenly everyone in the room got quiet. This had to go well. I gathered my materials and gestured to the seating area. We sat down while everyone else in the room remained standing, observing. There I was, face to face with Harrison Ford intently focused on me. It was like sitting across from Mount Rushmore, a national treasure. And that's when I realized that he sat down in the therapist's chair and I was on the sofa. Perfect. He started to talk about character ideas for his apartment set. "This is the first place we discover who Paul really is, collections from his travels, his interest in art, architecture, books, music, photos of his family, fitness gear and wine. It is the only place you are exposed to all the colors of who this otherwise compartmentalized man really is, and he's fiercely protective of it. This A. INT. PAUL'S CONDO, STAGE SET, WARNER BROS. STAGE 11, CONCEPT SKETCH, GRAPHITE ON PAPER & PROCREATE BY CABOT MCMULLEN. B. EXT PAUL'S CONDO, PATIO, STAGE SET, WARNER BROS. STAGE 11, SET PHOTO. C. PAUL'S CONDO. LIVING ROOM. SET PHOTO. D. PAUL'S CONDO. ENTRY FOYER. SET PHOTO. E. PAUL'S CONDO. DEN. SET PHOTO. SET PHOTOS BY TIM SWOPE. A B C