Michael J. Fox was shocked when watching his new documentary on life with Parkinson’s disease
The Hollywood legend Michael J. Fox, best known for his central role in the Back to the Future movie franchise, has discussed a new documentary he has made relating to his struggle with Parkinson’s disease. The Canadian-born actor was diagnosed with the disease at age 29 and is now 61.
While Parkinson’s isn’t directly terminal, it is, at present, incurable and tends to worsen over time. Fox’s new documentary, Still, reveals the difficulties he must grapple with daily. The disease affects the brain and causes tremors and musculoskeletal stiffness.
Speaking at a press conference for Still, Fox revealed that, before working on the documentary, he had no idea how frequently he fell over nor how his face looked when it drooped from time to time.
“You’ve always been public about your struggles with Parkinson’s, but was there anything in this film you were more hesitant to reveal about living with your condition?” the Back to the Future actor was asked.
“I don’t know if I was hesitant to reveal it, but when I saw it, it was shocking to me – I understand the idea of my face going blank or lacking expression; I don’t always know what I look like,” he replied. “That doesn’t bother me, but it’s a shock when you see it.”
“People say, ‘I saw you stumbling in the room, falling over, it was really shocking…’ like, you were shocked!? It freaked the shit out of me! I didn’t expect to fall over the furniture!”
Later in the conference, Fox heaped sang the praises of the film’s director, Davis Guggenheim. “Davis shot it so beautifully, and it could’ve been confrontational, but it was cathartic,” Fox explained. “In order for this to be the film that it is, I had to let Davis be the filmmaker that he is and get the stuff that I wasn’t aware he was getting, but it just added to the film. But it was shocking to me that this is real, this is my life, we’re not making this up.”
“A lot of people are very guarded with what they share, and Michael was a total open book, which says a lot about him,” Davis said of Fox in returned praise.
“What most affects me when I watch it is not all the tragedy and struggle and conflict – it’s my family,” Fox added later. “It’s these people who are beautiful, funny, they keep me alive, they keep me connected, and they’re so smart and grounded, and my wife is a miracle, and that was a big thing for me, seeing that.
“It’s my life, it’s so real, and it’s how much I count on those people and how much they deliver for me, and how my relationship with them is from my honesty. They’ve no real reason to be anything but open with what I say because I’ve never lied to them.”
Still: A Michael J Fox Movie is set to arrive on Apple TV+ on May 12th. Watch the trailer below.
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