Five years ago, Michael J. Fox stepped away from acting, noting that his memory was "shot" and announcing he'd be sticking to writing from there on in. The Family Ties and Back to the Future star seems to have since reassessed that plan: Entertainment Weekly reports that Fox is back in the acting saddle, signing on to join the cast of Apple TV+'s Shrinking, starring Harrison Ford and Jason Segel. It's not yet clear what guest role the 63-year-old Fox will play in the show's third season, but it will be his first on-camera acting gig since he retired.
Shrinking showrunner Bill Lawrence also worked with Fox on the ABC sitcom Spin City, which Fox starred in from 1996 to 2001. Lawrence has previously revealed to People that Fox and his experiences with Parkinson's disease, which he was diagnosed with in 1991, are what inspired the Harrison Ford character on Shrinking, a therapist who discovers he has the neurodegenerative disorder. "Michael J. Fox is my first mentor, so we wanted to represent [Parkinson's] in hopefully an inspiring and not sad or tragic way," Lawrence said at the time.
Hello! reports that fans are stoked about Fox's upcoming guest-star gig. "As if that show can't get any better!" one exuberant devotee gushed online. Another wrote, "Well now I know I'll be crying more than normal." More here from Fox in a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, in which he talks about trying to stay positive while dealing with the challenges of Parkinson's. (More Michael J. Fox stories.)
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