Michael Urie's 'Shrinking' Role Explores How Coming Out Can Change Old Friendships
HuffPost
The actor reflects on his role in the Apple TV+ series, where his character navigates the complex evolution of a friendship that predates his coming out.
Nearly two decades after “Ugly Betty” put him on the Hollywood map, Michael Urie is continuing to find new ways to showcase LGBTQ+ life through his work on stage and on screen.
The Texas-born actor has built a career out of embodying complex queer characters, from a 1970s drag performer navigating his relationship with an intolerant mother in the Broadway drama “Torch Song” to a hapless Angeleno who finds love in small-town New England in Netflix’s “Single All the Way.”
As for his current role on the Apple TV+ series “Shrinking,” Urie says it’s given him the chance to spotlight a dynamic he believes will resonate with many LGBTQ+ people, yet has rarely been seen on mainstream television. The show, which launched its second season this month, follows Jimmy Laird (played by Jason Segel), a Los Angeles therapist who opts for a tough-love approach with his clientele while grieving the tragic death of his wife.
Urie portrays Brian, a lawyer and longtime pal from whom Jimmy had become estranged. The two men reconnected and smoothed things over in the first season, with Brian eventually enlisting Jimmy to officiate his wedding to his husband, Charlie (Devin Kawaoka).
Wednesday’s episode, “Made You Look,” finds Brian turning to Jimmy for advice as he contemplates the prospect of becoming a first-time father. By the episode’s conclusion, however, it’s apparent that Brian and Jimmy will soon navigate some unexpected twists in their friendship.
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