‘Shrinking’ breakout Luke Tennie: ‘I’m always listening, I’m always absorbing’ [Exclusive Video Interview]

Christopher Rosen
Updated ·5 min read
1
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Luke Tennie is a good-natured guy, someone who’s quick with a compliment and loves to cook elaborate dinners for his spouse. “I’m one of the happiest dudes I’ve ever met,” the actor tells Gold Derby in an exclusive video interview. So when it came time for Tennie to audition to play Sean on the Apple TV+ comedy “Shrinking” he had some decisions to make. The character is a combat veteran whose post-traumatic stress disorder and anger management issues have knocked him off course. But within that drama, Sean is also quite funny, particularly in his interactions with his new therapist, Jimmy (played by comic veteran Jason Segel).

“I was drawn to the dichotomy of what would it look like if I play a character with this much anger?” Tennie, who previously appeared on drama series like “Deadly Class” and “CSI: Vegas,” says. “I got obsessed and immediately called my homie, my comedic actor friend, his name’s Esteban. He is sort of like a Latino Jack Black: very physical and comical. And I was like, ‘I’m gonna need your best.’ I knew I could nail the anger part because I’ve done a lot of drama primarily. But I needed him to kind of help even me out to showcase that I understand that this is a comedy, that I can still see these beats. So I was obsessed with trying to convince these people that I was the man for the job. And I’m just glad it worked out in my favor.”

More from GoldDerby

SEEEmmy Experts slugfest: Will ‘Beef’ and ‘Shrinking’ serve up nominations?

Co-created by Bill Lawrence, Brett Goldstein, and Segel, “Shrinking” is about how Jimmy begins to overcome his grief following the death of his wife a year prior. Jimmy’s growth throughout the season dovetails with Sean, who eventually moves in with his doctor and becomes close friends with Jimmy’s teenage daughter, Alice (Lukita Maxwell). Sean is at times the audience’s surrogate as he enters a world of friends and colleagues who have a shared history. It’s a breakout role for Tennie and he more than rises to the challenge. Not that his comfort level was instantaneous. 

“The first time I remember it clicking was my third day at work,” Tennie says. He was doing a key scene with Segel and tossed out an improvised line of dialogue. 

“I remember people laughing, but I thought it was low-hanging fruit – it was kind of a potty joke. And I was like, ‘Oh no. I don’t have it,’” Tennie recalls. “But then Jason pulls me aside laughing and he’s like, ‘All right, so you say that, I’m gonna say this, and then you say this, then I’m gonna say this.’ He built a scene off of it. And I was like, ‘Oh, okay, so this is good.’… It never made the cut, but it taught me, I think, to let go of those sorts of insecurities. Because we can just call cut, and not use it if it doesn’t work. That was the first time I really kind of experienced that. And Jason was the captain of leading that feeling for me. So I’m just happy to be here.”

Tennie took his job on “Shrinking” very seriously, doing tons of research to understand Sean’s mental health struggles. That homework not only left him open to the spontaneity of the performance but also allowed Tennie the opportunity to learn from Segel and fellow co-star Harrison Ford. 

“But I also have this thing where I just don’t want to bug anyone,” Tennie adds. “So when I’m working with Jason, he’s really kind but he’s also very specific. He doesn’t give unsolicited advice, which is tough for me because I don’t want to be asking. So I just try to be around in the right moment when he’s talking with people that are more on his level – like I’ll try to get some nugget, some crumbs [of guidance]. But I do remember a few moments where I don’t know if it wasn’t clear how much I respected him, but maybe he didn’t know. There was a moment he was getting ready to share something and he was like, ‘Oh, wait, if you don’t mind.’ And I was like, ‘Jason…’ He kind of laughed. So yeah, I’m always listening. I’m always absorbing. But I didn’t realize that maybe I had somehow given off the impression I didn’t want to hear what he had to say. But I’m like, ‘Damn, I’m trying to get everything.’”

“Shrinking” was recently renewed for a second season on Apple TV+ and Tennie is excited to see where the show goes from here. He even has some of his own ideas. “I just want to explore the relationships with characters. I would be interested to see a moment in Season 2 where Sean sees Jimmy and it has kind of been a while. He’s kind of been kicking it with other people for a bit and they kind of have to [reconnect],” Tennie says before quickly adding, “But I don’t write it, we’ll see what they do. They’re brilliant.”

The first season of “Shrinking” is now streaming on Apple TV+.

PREDICT the 2023 Emmy nominees through July 12

Make your predictions at Gold Derby now. Download our free and easy app for Apple/iPhone devices or Android (Google Play) to compete against legions of other fans plus our experts and editors for best prediction accuracy scores. See our latest prediction champs. Can you top our esteemed leaderboards next? Always remember to keep your predictions updated because they impact our latest racetrack odds, which terrify Hollywood chiefs and stars. Don’t miss the fun. Speak up and share your huffy opinions in our famous forums where 5,000 showbiz leaders lurk every day to track latest awards buzz. Everybody wants to know: What do you think? Who do you predict and why?

SIGN UP for Gold Derby’s free newsletter with latest predictions

Best of GoldDerby

Sign up for Gold Derby's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Click here to read the full article.