Michael J. Fox, who is best known for starring in the Back To The Future franchise in the 1980s, has been battling Parkinson’s disease since 1991. Sadly, the 59-year-old actor has just revealed to his fans that the disease has now progressed to the point where he is no longer looking for acting roles because of his condition.
In his new memoir “No Time Like the Future,” Fox wrote about the various cognitive issues and motor skills difficulties that come with having Parkinson’s.
He added that “not being able to speak reliably is a game-breaker for an actor.”
“Absent a chemical intervention, Parkinson’s will render me frozen, immobile, stone-faced, and mute — entirely at the mercy of my environment,” Fox wrote, according to the New York Times. “For someone for whom motion equals emotion, vibrance and relevance, it’s a lesson in humility.”
Fox’s spokesperson has since confirmed to Fox News that the former “Family Ties” star “is not actively looking for work.”
“But if something great comes along and it works for him, he would consider it,” the spokesperson added.
Fox told People Magazine about how much more difficult Parkinson’s disease has made it for him to act.
“My short-term memory is shot,” he confessed, adding that in the past, “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,” Fox added. “So the last couple of years have been trickier than most.”
Despite the fact that Parkinson’s has effectively robbed Fox of his acting career, he is staying positive and is enjoying that writing has become his main creative outlet.
“I’m down to this,” he said of writing. “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.”
Related: Michael J. Fox Speaks Candidly About Life With Parkinson’s
Fox went on to say that in the past few years, he has learned that “optimism is really rooted in gratitude.”
“Optimism is sustainable when you keep coming back to gratitude, and what follows from that is acceptance,” Fox explained.
“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.”
Fox continues to be an inspiration to all of us. God bless you, Michael J. Fox!
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