Is Michael J Fox quitting acting? His struggles with Parkinson's disease and how he got over 'darkest times'
Michael J Fox has shared his struggles with Parkinson's disease and how it has affected his work. The ‘Back to the Future’ star recently had an interview with The New York Times about his fourth memoir, ‘No Time Like the Future’, in which he opened up about his experience with the neurodegenerative disorder from which he has been suffering. In the biography, Fox said that "not being able to speak reliably is a game-breaker for an actor.” He added that “Parkinson’s might render me frozen, immobile, stone-faced, and mute — entirely at the mercy of my environment. For someone for whom motion equals emotion, vibrance and relevance, it’s a lesson in humility."
After Fox’s opening up, a lot of his fans wondered whether he would leave acting for good. A spokesperson of the actor said to Fox News on Saturday, November 14, that the 59-year-old actor "is not actively looking for work." “But if something great comes along and it works for him, he would consider it,” the person added.
This comes after earlier in November, Fox spoke with PEOPLE magazine where he disclosed his illness battle. “My short-term memory is shot,” he said before adding: “I always had a real proficiency for lines and memorization. And I had some extreme situations where the last couple of jobs I did were actually really word-heavy parts. I struggled during both of them.” The ‘Spin City’ actor also mentioned how with time writing has become his favorite. “I’m down to this. My guitar playing is no good. My sketching is no good anymore, my dancing never was good, and acting is getting tougher to do. So it’s down to writing. Luckily, I really enjoy it.”
Fox is famous for his roles in ‘Back to the Future’ and the sitcom ‘Family Ties’. He is also well-known for ‘Spin City’ and guest roles in ‘The Good Wife’. Fox has received four Golden Globes and five Emmys, along with multiple nominations. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1991, but years later, in 2018, a noncancerous tumor on his spine left him with horrible pain throughout his body. He underwent surgery before having a bad fall — the moment he described as “my darkest moment."
Fox revealed to PEOPLE that at that time he understood “optimism is really rooted in gratitude.” “Optimism is sustainable when you keep coming back to gratitude, and what follows from that is acceptance. Accepting that this thing has happened, and you accept it for what it is. It doesn’t mean that you can’t endeavor to change. It doesn’t mean you have to accept it as a punishment or a penance, but just put it in its proper place. Then see how much the rest of your life you have to thrive in, and then you can move on,” he explained.
“It’s not that I wasn’t sincere before, but my gratitude is deeper now, from having gotten through the darkest times. So the last couple of years have been trickier than most. But I have things that I've been blessed with that are just incredible. Life is rich. Life is good,” Fox added.