Jason Segel says he approaches his role in Apple TV+ comedy-drama Shrinking by leaning into personal vulnerability

Jason Segel, who stars in Apple TV+’s comedy-drama Shrinking, said he is not afraid to draw on what he called the “dirty underneath” of people’s lives, even when that approach exposes something raw and uncomfortable. In an interview published Tuesday by NPR, Segel described his own motivation for playing the show’s central character, a widowed therapist who delivers blunt advice to clients while also reckoning with grief off the clock.

Segel said the reason he is willing to share the darker, less presentable aspects of emotion and human behavior is tied to vulnerability rather than performance polish. “If I have a superpower that I can't take credit for... [it's] that I'm very vulnerable,” Segel said, according to NPR. He framed the vulnerability as an asset he brings to the role, describing it as something he cannot easily manufacture or claim as a talent he built, but something he can still put to use.

In Shrinking, Segel portrays a therapist whose job requires him to help others confront their problems, while the series also uses the premise to explore the social fallout of saying too much and telling the truth without softening the edges. NPR’s account of the interview emphasizes that Segel’s approach to the character is less about crafting a polished persona and more about leaning into the parts of therapy and relationships that people often hide, even from themselves.

The interview also situates Segel’s comments in the context of his willingness to make the show’s emotional tone legible to viewers. Shrinking has presented the therapy setting as a stage where humor and discomfort can sit close together, and Segel’s remarks underscore that he views that mixture as part of what makes the material work. By describing the character’s “dirty underneath,” Segel highlighted that the series does not treat messy feelings as something to be cleaned up before they reach an audience.

Apple TV+ audiences, NPR noted, will watch Segel continue in the role as the show’s therapist figure remains a direct conduit for the series’ guidance and conflict. For viewers looking for a clearer line between entertainment and the emotional boundaries that therapy implies, Segel’s comments add a layer to how the series asks audiences to think about what “help” looks like when someone speaks candidly and when grief and professional detachment cannot be neatly separated.

Segel’s remarks also reflect a broader theme of contemporary on-screen storytelling, where creators often describe acting as a process of allowing unpleasant truths to remain visible rather than treating discomfort as something to be resolved quickly. In Segel’s case, NPR’s reporting ties that approach to his personal sense of what vulnerability enables him to do, particularly when playing someone whose job is to guide others through their own buried feelings.

At this point, NPR’s published account provides direct quotes from Segel about vulnerability and the “dirty underneath,” but it does not lay out additional production details such as specific episode plots, behind-the-scenes changes, or new release timelines. Apple TV+ continues to distribute the series through its streaming catalog as new episodes and seasons arrive through the platform’s established rollout schedules.