The iconic Michael J. Fox may have retired due to the worsening of his tragic condition, but the legendary star would still make the festival rounds when a documentary about his life premiered to great acclaim last year. Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie brought him back to the movies, except this time, he would be himself on camera. Fox may have decided to retire from the acting world, but let’s not forget that he is also a self-proclaimed “incurable optimist.” The Back to the Future star would recently talk to Entertainment Tonight and revealed that there is still a possibility of taking on a part if it’s right.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Fox told ET that his priorities changed back in 1991 when he first received his Parkinson’s diagnosis. “My biggest goal, I think, was to raise a family. We have four amazing kids, and that’s been the big thing,” Fox told the entertainment news show. He continued, “And then the other is with the [Michael J. Fox] foundation.” However, when his documentary Still was brought up to him, it “just happened” and Fox says it ended up being a “big thrill,” so “if someone offers me a part, and I do it, and I have a good time, great.” It’s not lost on him that his options are very limited, but the Family Ties star would tell the publication he would accept a role “if something came up that I could put my realities into it — my challenges — if I could figure it out.”
Fox would talk about his career winding down and having to be selective with his roles in Mike Birbiglia’s Working It Out podcast in 2022, “When I did the spinoff from [The] Good Wife, which is [The] Good Fight, I couldn’t remember the lines. I just had this blank.” However, it was when Fox first viewed Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood that it dawned on him, “There’s a scene where Leonardo DiCaprio’s character can’t remember his lines anymore. He goes back to his dressing room, and he’s screaming at himself in the mirror, just freaking insane. I had this moment where I was looking in the mirror and thought, ‘I cannot remember it anymore.’” Fox also recalled when he couldn’t get his lines on Designated Survivor, “But what [was] really refreshing was I didn’t panic. I didn’t freak out. I just went, ‘Well, that’s that. Moving on. A key element of this process is memorizing lines, and I can’t do it.’”