Michael J. Fox Says Returning to Acting ‘Prolonged’ His Life After Parkinson’s Diagnosis

Michael J. Fox has admitted he was worried about how people would react when he revealed he had Parkinson’s disease.

During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter published on Wednesday, July 22, the actor recalled anonymously joining chat rooms and online forums to gauge how others with the disease felt about his diagnosis.

But after being met with universal praise for going public, Fox, 65, joked, “I thought, ‘Well, [expletive] you! I have Parkinson’s and you’re celebrating.'”

Looking back, the Back to the Future icon said he quickly understood why people responded that way.

“I got it. People back then would never in a million years tell you they had Parkinson’s.”

Fox also spoke about how his diagnosis had the potential to affect his career, having returned to acting in recent years.

He was nominated for an Emmy for his appearance in the third season of Shrinking, which premiered in January.

Fox said the decision to return to being in front of the cameras had been life changing and was one reason he remained so positive.

“It’s really prolonged my life and made my life interesting in a way that I didn’t think it would be to this point,” he shared. “I’m not retired from acting, but if I didn’t act again, it would be for a very good reason. I let Parkinson’s make decisions for me.”

The Doc Hollywood star was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 1991, when he was just 29 years old, but he waited seven years before going public with the news.

Ultimately, he needed time to come to terms with the diagnosis before he was ready to share it with the world.