Fox: I Wouldn't Change Parkinson's Diagnosis

Actor talks to 'Rolling Stone' about 'Michael J. Fox Show,' more
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 27, 2013 1:30 PM CDT
Fox: I Wouldn't Change Parkinson's Diagnosis
Michael J. Fox and wife Tracy Pollan attend the NBC 2013 Fall season launch party hosted by Vanity Fair at Le Bain on Monday, Sept. 16, 2013, in New York.   (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

During Michael J. Fox's Rolling Stone interview, the reporter sees firsthand the Parkinson's symptoms Fox struggles with: During one sit-down, the actor's face "still[s] into a blank mask," his speech slurs, his leg vibrates, his mind seems fuzzy. Later, as particularly intense symptoms hit him, Fox admits, "This is as bad as it gets." Even so, Fox insists he wouldn't change a thing—even if he could. "If I walked into a room with God or Buddha or Bill Gates or Sergey Brin or whoever could figure out a way to fix it for me, I don't think I'd do it. Because I wouldn't have gone through what I've gone through and I wouldn't have had the experience I've had, and I can still do my s---," he says. "At the end of the day, I can still do a show. So what have I lost?"

That show, The Michael J. Fox Show, marks his first time back on TV full-time in 13 years. He plays a news anchor who decides to go back on the air—despite the fact that he has Parkinson's. It's a remarkable move, considering doctors predicted back in 1991 that Fox's acting career would be over within the decade. But Fox, who left Spin City in 2000 in part because he felt his symptoms were interfering with his work, actually feels better now than he did 10 years ago, thanks to a specific mix of drugs. And he's in great shape (random tidbit: Michael Pollan, natural food advocate, is his brother-in-law). "People said, 'Are you sure you can handle this? Are you sure you can take it on? Are you sure you can deal with it?'" Fox says of his new show. "And I said, 'No, I'm not sure I can, but I want to and I have an opportunity to.'" Click for the full article. (More Michael J. Fox stories.)

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