Harrison Ford has expressed his admiration for his new costar, Michael J. Fox, who is joining the cast of Shrinking for season three. Fox, 63, previously retired from acting amid his journey with Parkinson's disease, but has now returned to on-camera acting with his role in Shrinking.

Ford, 82, spoke exclusively to PEOPLE about Fox's return to acting, saying, "His willingness to be part of our show is a great source of inspiration and gives us a real purpose." He added, "It's not just us coming together, two actors. There's a story to tell, and our commitment to the story is what joins us together. I appreciate his willingness to be a part of the show."

Ford also praised Fox's courage and humor, saying, "Michael, as Bill [Lawrence] points out, is totally there on the intellectual level. And emotionally, his humor and his courage are evident." He added, "I've done what I could to acquaint myself with the aspects of the disease that I'm portraying, and I'm at a much different stage of the disease than Michael's."

Ford previously told PEOPLE that he takes his role in Shrinking "deadly seriously." He said, "There's no intention to make it into a joke, but there are people that absorb these kinds of experiences with grace and courage and a little bit of wisdom."

Shrinking is a series that stars Ford as Dr. Paul Rhodes, a therapist practicing mental health therapy while navigating his own Parkinson's diagnosis. The series has been praised for its portrayal of Parkinson's disease and its impact on those affected.

Seasons 1 and 2 of Shrinking are currently streaming on Apple TV+.

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