While the Rhoades Cognitive Behavioral Therapy office might be temporarily closed as it turns into Gaby’s (Jessica Williams) trauma center, my interviews with the patients on Shrinking are still going strong. I was thrilled to talk with Kimberly Condict, who plays Wally, Jimmy’s (Jason Segel) patient, who struggles with OCD. Over the past three seasons, we’ve seen the duo grow and learn from each other as Jimmy helps Wally break through her fears and gain confidence and self-acceptance.
We talked about how she portrays a mental health condition with equal parts comedy and respect, getting used to making intense eye contact with Jason Segel, her favorite day on set when Wally “accidentally” kidnaps her neighbor’s dog, and much more.
Reflecting on when she joined the show at the beginning of season one, Condict said, “I went and did my part on the first day of the first season, and at the beginning of the day, so it was like everybody’s first day of school. And that was a really cool, fun vibe to be there right at the beginning. I felt like I was in on it. It was my first time ever working with Bill [Lawrence]. It was my first time working with Jason, of course. And they were just so warm. I think I was nervous to meet Jason because he’s so famous, and when I went into the room, I met him, made eye contact with him, and hugged him. I could feel his energy, and he was just very grounding and wonderful.”
As a viewer, I am always impressed by how laugh-out-loud funny the therapy scenes are in Shrinking while still treating these very real mental health conditions in a very delicate and thoughtful way. I think that it all goes back to the impeccable writing and casting, and Condict agrees. She commented, “I’m a person who in my life has been diagnosed with anxiety and depression, and so I think it feels like a very near thing. It’s just a different mirror in the fun house we’re all trapped in. I think a lot of OCD is a product of anxiety or vice versa. So I think I mainly just channeled my own anxiety and fears and nervousness about stuff, but it’s so well written that it feels very natural to say all the stuff that they’ve crafted.”
With season four of Shrinking officially underway, I’m eagerly awaiting any news on the future of Wally’s character. One of my favorite questions to ask actors is to throw out their ideas for a dream spinoff for their character. Condict had two great concepts in mind – either Wally doing immersion therapy by going to work somewhere deep in nature like Yosemite, or turning some of her OCD traits into a successful organization business a la The Home Edit. I would absolutely tune in for countless episodes of either one.
Tune into our full conversation in the video above. The 11-episode third season of Shrinking is now streaming in full on Apple TV.
