“My problem is that I often fall. I trip over things and destroy them. And that’s part of the disease. However, I hope and also feel that tomorrow I will not “break” many bones. So that’s my optimism.” Michael J. Fox speaks candidly to Variety magazine about Parkinson’s disease, which has haunted him for the past 30 years.

“Hell” is an understatement to describe the difficult situations that the popular Canadian-American actor, writer and activist finds himself in. Having lost his mother, father-in-law and beloved dog, he himself faced a “biblical” series of health problems, most of which are indirectly related to his devastating illness.

Fox’s adventurous life is now captured in Oscar-winning Davis Guggenheim’s new documentary Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie, available on the Apple TV platform and also a tribute to the comic book star’s amazing talents. The film’s title is telling: “Still” means “still”, something that Fox could never be. However, it also means film frame.

The film not only makes a poignant reference to the devastating effects of the disease, but also focuses on the stress that accompanied the actor’s rise in the entertainment industry, especially at the age of 29 when he was diagnosed and beyond.

Rising career on pause

Born in 1961 in Canada, the son of former Army Sergeant William Fox and payroll clerk Phyllis, little Michael grew up in suburban Vancouver. He began participating in plays at his school after discovering that he had acting talent. Having landed several television roles in Canada, usually playing characters younger than his age, he was convinced that he had what it took to succeed in Hollywood. So he dropped out of high school and moved to Los Angeles.

Davis Guggenheim’s film is reminiscent of the comic book star’s talents. The name is revealing: “Still” means “still”.

He made his first film debuts in the 1970s and quickly rose to prominence for his role as Alex P. Keaton on the popular NBC sitcom Family Ties. “Family Ties” and Fox then reflected the spirit of the times. However, what really launched the actor’s career was his portrayal of Marty McFly in the Back to the Future trilogy, a sci-fi comedy about a 1980s high school student who travels through time.

Although he initially turned down the idea of ​​doing the film due to his commitment to the series, director Robert Zemeckis and Family Ties creator Gary David Goldberg came up with a plan that would allow Fox to film the sitcom during the day and then run to film Back to the Future. that lasted until 3 or 4 am. It was very exhausting, but Fox credits it with helping his performance. “Arenaline worked,” he admits. “I didn’t really know where I was or what I was doing. This, of course, benefited the film, as Marty was supposed to be disoriented.”

But his ascendant career came to an abrupt halt when, in 1991, a year after the release of Back to the Future 3, the actor was diagnosed with an early illness. Doctors warned him that he only had 10 years left to work.

“Terrible disease”

“It’s such a terrible disease,” says Fox. “I didn’t want to think about it. I didn’t want to deal with it. It didn’t fit with my story. I just ‘turned off the switches.’

He always drank heavily, but his alcohol abuse escalated when he tried to ease his pain. As he writes in his memoir Lucky and as shown in the documentary, he finally decided to stop drinking when his wife made it clear to him that she was not interested in raising children with someone who could not control himself.

As job opportunities dwindled and his film career stalled, Fox returned in 1996 to the form that made him famous, once again teaming up with the Family Ties creator for the sitcom Spin City.

But as his condition worsened, production of the series became problematic and filming was often delayed. His colleagues and crew members suspected something was wrong, but various explanations were offered, including that Fox had Lyme disease. Few knew the reality.

In 1998, Fox could no longer hide his illness. One reason was that paparazzi were waiting outside his apartment, insistently asking him if he really had Parkinson’s disease. He decided to go public with what was happening to him by giving an interview to Barbara Walters and People magazine.

His stubbornness is here, unshakable!

“I broke my shoulder and I had to replace it, I broke my elbow and I broke my arm. I suffered from an infection that nearly cost me a finger. I had a disfigured face, I broke my arm, ”Fox told Variety, showing every part of his “distorted” body along the way. In 2018, he also underwent spinal surgery to remove a tumor, a hospital experience completely independent of his loss of balance due to Parkinson’s disease.

Since then, and for many hours every day, there are people around the actor who can help him in case of a fall, and this lack of privacy makes it very difficult for him. “I lost my family members, my dog, my freedom, my health. I hesitate to use the term “depression” because I do not have the right to make a diagnosis, but all the signs are there.

However, Fox copes with all this evil and its heavy impact with the help of his family and an indomitable belief in himself, an optimism that there are reasons to be grateful for what life has to offer, despite its unexpected ups and downs. The recent possibility of early detection of the disease has boosted his morale. “It could lead to more preventive treatments and drug development,” he said. Although he officially retired from acting in 2020 because he had trouble learning and delivering his lines, Fox remained active in front of the camera for more decades than doctors thought. Over the past 20 years, he has returned to television frequently – as a doctor on The Clinic, a lawyer on The Good Wife and Curb Your Enthusiasm.

“Since I announced my diagnosis, I have received more awards and nominations,” notes Fox. “People may sympathize with me, but I prefer to see it as an acknowledgment that I’m pursuing a legitimate career.”

rough truth

When making the documentary, the popular actor wanted transparency: to show the raw, real side of his daily life. According to Guggenheim, Fox refused to have any control over the final result. “All he asked me was not to use violins as background music, and that’s because he didn’t want to make a sad movie about a seriously ill person.”

The documentary is not melodramatic at all, but at the same time offers an optimistic look at the triumph of an uncompromising spirit. The other side that “illuminates” “Still Life” is the inner peace of the actor after the announcement of his illness, as well as the beginning of a new stage, the most productive in his life. Since the founding of the Michael J. Fox Foundation in 2000, it has helped raise over $1 billion to fund research into Parkinson’s disease. And with that, he became a memoir writer, spartan, emotional and honest.

The release of “Still” reminds viewers of Fox’s determination to become stronger after any challenge. And it made a big splash as the film received rave reviews and applause (the audience gave it a standing ovation) during its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival and SXSW. “The disease still worries me unimaginably. I won’t win, I will lose. But there’s a lot to be gained from defeat.”