Harrison Ford Reveals How Acting in College Helped Him Overcome His Depression: 'I Was Ill'
Harrison Ford Reveals How Acting in College Helped Him Overcome His Depression: 'I Was Ill'
Rachel RaposasThu, April 9, 2026 at 8:06 PM UTC
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Harrison Ford in Los Angeles on Feb. 3, 2026Credit: Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty -
Harrison Ford opened up about experiencing depression during his college years
"I was more than depressed. I think I was ill," Ford said of his mental health at the time
He began feeling better and building a support system when he enrolled in his very first drama class
Harrison Ford is opening up about a dark period he went through in college — and how his very first acting class helped him recover.
Appearing on The Hollywood Reporter's podcast, Awards Chatter, in an episode released on Thursday, April 9, the actor, 83, opened up about the mental health issues he experienced in his young adulthood. What ultimately helped him recover was also his very first introduction to acting: a college course in drama.
While attending Ripon College in Wisconsin, the Shrinking star was struggling with what he now describes as depression. "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," he recalled.
Harrison Ford at the 32nd annual Actor Awards on March 1, 2026Credit: Amy Sussman/Getty
"I had a single room and I had classes to go to, but I rarely ventured out," he continued, adding, "And on the rare occasion I did go to the classroom, I would often touch the door on the outside of the building, and turn around and walk back."
"I was more than depressed. I think I was ill," Ford said. "I was socially ill, psychologically not well."
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What pushed him to find a community and build a support system, in a roundabout way, was his low grade point average, he said. In an effort to boost his GPA, he enrolled in a class simply called "drama." Ford recalled only reading a portion of description of the course, which stated the curriculum would include reading and analyzing plays.
What he didn't read, the 1923 star said, was that students had to then participate in plays themselves, something he'd never done before — "so that was a surprise."
Harrison Ford at the '1923' season 2 premiere on Feb. 19, 2025Credit: Maya Dehlin Spach/FilmMagic
"And I was surprised that the people that I had considered to be fellow geeks and misfits were, in fact, some of the most interesting people I knew," Ford said.
He continued, "They were doing something that I hadn’t really understood, and they were telling stories about life and life, and some of them were exceptional in their capacity to understand human behavior. And so I think I simply found my place amongst storytellers. It really changed my world, changed my life.”
After that class, of course, Ford went on to build a legendary career over more than five decades, including his famed roles as Dr. Richard Kimble in The Fugitive, Han Solo in Star Wars, Deckard in Blade Runner and Indy in Indiana Jones, among many others. The actor most recently costarred alongside Jason Segel in season 3 of Apple TV's Shrinking, which just concluded on April 8.
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
