Highlights
- Michael J. Fox shared on The Howard Stern Show that he was given a shocking prognosis about his future acting career.
- Despite the prognosis, Fox continued to act.
- Fox’s wife Tracy Pollan has been a source of support throughout his journey.
There’s no denying that Michael J. Fox’s Parkinson’s diagnosis changed absolutely everything for him. Fox made lifestyle and diet changes because of his health condition, and he also quit acting in 2021 when his symptoms began worsening.
While the actor has given many fascinating and emotional interviews about having Parkinson’s, Michael J. Fox once appeared on The Howard Stern Show and shared something that his fans would be shocked to hear about. Anyone who has been following his impressive career since his days starring in the Back To The Future franchise will definitely want to hear what he had to say…
What Did Michael J. Fox Say On The Howard Stern Show?
In 2013, Michael J. Fox was on The Howard Stern Show and he shared about what it was like when he learned that he had Parkinson’s. It was 1991, and he had been famous for several years thanks to his starring role as Marty McFly in Back to the Future, which was released in 1985. He reprised the role in the 1991 and 1992 sequels and also played Scott Howard in the 1985 classic Teen Wolf. The actor also starred as Alex P. Keaton on the beloved 1980s TV series Family Ties, which was surprisingly canceled after seven successful seasons.
Howard Stern asked if Michael J. Fox was surprised to hear that he had this health condition. Fox agreed and then shared that he was given a shocking prognosis about his future acting career.
Fox said, “I had that reaction… I’m Michael Fox, this is happening to me, I’m not an 85-year-old man. The way he put it too, he told me I had Parkinson’s, so I’m dealing with that, and then he said ‘But don’t worry, you have another 10 good years left to work.’ I was 29 years old.”
The actor continued, “And that was twentysomething years ago, so…”
Stern said that people judged Fox for hiding his health condition for a while and felt mad. Fox said, “It was really strange, everybody had an opinion about it. That helped me… The only opinion that mattered about it was me.”
He also shared a story about testifying in Congress and skipping a dose of his Parkinson’s medication in order for people to observe what really goes on.
Michael J. Fox spoke more about how he felt during this period of his life. It sounds like it was emotional and terrifying to receive a Parkinson’s diagnosis at such a young age, and it was also confusing to think about what it could mean for his career.
He said, “It was a strange time. Like I said, the guy told me I had ten years left to work. It was like being stuck in the middle of the road with cement feet and a bus is coming but you don’t know when it’s coming and you can hear it but you don’t know when it will be there and you don’t know how hard it will hit.”
In the same Howard Stern interview, Michael J. Fox explained that he started drinking a lot and went to Alcoholics Anonymous and also began speaking to a therapist.
Fox said that he realized he had to “take it one day at a time.” He also shared that his wife Tracy Pollan has helped and supported him so much. He added that while she could have walked away from the relationship, she has been there for him the entire time.
Did Michael J. Fox Keep Working After His Parkinson’s Diagnosis?
Although Michael J. Fox shared on The Howard Stern Show that a doctor thought he could only work for ten more years, that definitely didn’t happen. Instead of deciding that he should stop acting in 2001 at the age of 39, Fox continued to be part of the industry that he seems to love so much.
After his Parkinson’s diagnosis in 1991, Fox starred in movies such as Mars Attacks!, The Frighteners, Where The River Flows North, and Coldblooded.
While it’s true that his health condition made it tough to take on leading man roles as he once had, Michael J. Fox starred in many TV shows later on in his career. He embraced his Parkinson’s and that allowed him to keep working.
From 2010 to 2016, Fox played rival lawyer Louis Canning in 26 episodes of The Good Wife. Louis has tardive dyskinesia, which means that he shakes and moves a lot. While he frustrates Alicia Florrick, she can’t help but respect his intelligence.
In 2016, Michael J. Fox talked about The Good Wife with The Hollywood Reporter and explained that it was meaningful to play a character who also has a health struggle. He said, “they came up with that scene in the courtroom where I stand in front of the jury and say, ‘You may see me move this way or that way’ — I think it kind of blew people away on the set that I would be so open with it, but I just knew this was a perfect opportunity to funnel a lot of my life experience into a character and be coy with it and kind of let it out in dribs and drabs and see if I can make it an effective tool for him to do his job, as opposed to something that prevented him from doing his job.”
From 2013 to 2014, Fox also starred as husband and father Mike Henry on the sitcom The Michael J. Fox Show. The sitcom was inspired by his life as Mike has Parkinson’s and wants to return to his career as a TV reporter.
As Michael J. Fox told Aarp.org, it makes more sense to play characters who are also struggling with this health issue. He said, “It’s too difficult to hide it. I could manage it for a scene or so, but it would fall apart over time. As long as I play a guy with Parkinson’s, I can do anything.”
While his life definitely hasn’t been easy, it’s great that Michael J. Fox was able to keep acting for longer than ten years. He seemed to really enjoy starring in his own sitcom and appearing on The Good Wife. Even though he isn’t acting these days, Fox is still very involved in Hollywood, and he is also a passionate Parkinson’s advocate. He is doing amazing work raising awareness of the condition and showing compassion to anyone who suffers from it.
Source: NewsFinale
