Michael J Fox to make return to acting in ‘Shrinking’ amid Parkinson’s battle
Five-time Emmy winner Michael J Fox will return to acting with a major guest-starring role in the third season of ‘Shrinking’, an Apple TV+ comedy series.
The series, starring Jason Segel and Harrison Ford, follows grieving therapist Jimmy (played by Segel), who starts to break the rules and address clients candidly despite his training and ethics. Consequently, he begins making huge, tumultuous changes to many lives.
It is speculated that his role is related to the character arc of Ford’s therapist, Paul Rhoades. Among other reasons, this connection was made as it was revealed at the end of Season one that Paul has Parkinson’s, a disease Fox has been battling for almost four decades.
Fox joins fellow Shrinking season three cast additions Jeff Daniels, who will guest star as Jimmy’s father, Sherry Cola and Isabella Gomez. Alongside Segel and Ford, Segel and Ford, Shrinking stars Christa Miller, Jessica Williams, Luke Tennie, Michael Urie, Lukita Maxwell and Ted McGinley.
This addition to the cast represents a reunion for Fox and Shrinking co-creator and executive producer Bill Lawrence. Fox, who shot to stardom in the 1985 classic Back to the Future, starred in Lawrence’s first show as a creator, the political sitcom Spin City, which ran from 1996 until 2001. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 1991 and has been a vocal advocate for those fighting the disease ever since revealing his diagnosis in 1998.
Lawrence has previously said that Fox’s experience influenced many parts of Shrinking. He found Fox “to be so inspiring with the way he took it in stride” and explained that he wanted to honour his spirit and work ethic in the show. In addition to his former mentor, Lawrence has another connection with Parkinson’s – both his father and the father of his fellow Shrinking creator, Brett Goldstein, have the disease.
Fox recently received an honorary Academy Award and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 2000, he launched the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, which has raised over $2.5 billion to date for better treatments and a pathway to a cure.
Currently, there is no confirmed release date for season three.
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