Michael J. Fox: New Sitcom 'Loosely Based' on Personal Experiences
Michael J. Fox has been on TV and in magazines since he was a teenager; now he is doing a different variety of TV shows and making magazine appearances in "AARP." The 51-year-old actor recently spoke about the importance of his new sitcom, "loosely based" on his experiences with Parkinson's.
"I went from 'Teen Beat' and 'Tiger Beat' … to 'AARP,'" Fox told Access Hollywood's Michelle Beadle. "There's some great tips about colon health!" Fox joked before getting serious about his life with Parkinson's and the importance of his upcoming sitcom on NBC.
"Why is it that you're just so willing, able and at ease to just bring it out there and deal with it?" Beadle asked.
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"Well, I don't have a choice," Fox replied. "But my personal life … you can sit and project out and say, 'Oh, I'm going to have this and it's going to be like this and I won't be able to do that.' But it's much more about right now. 'What can I do right now?'"
Fox plays an anchorman whose life is upended when he receives a diagnosis of Parkinson's. Fox, of course, has been an outspoken advocate for Parkinson's research, even establishing his own foundation to help raise much-needed funds. He has made no attempt to hide his disease and has continued working, guest-starring on "Scrubs" and more recently, "The Good Wife."
"I just thought, I love to do this and as much as anyone will let me do it and give me their time to do it– I should do it. And so, I'm doing it," Fox explained. "It's based loosely on my experiences. And I don't want to say too much because I don't want my kids to think every time a kid does something goofy on the show that it's a reflection on them."
Fox and wife Tracy Pollan have been married since 1988 and have four children: Sam, Aquinnah, Schuyler, and Esme.
