Michael J. Fox stepped away from acting two years ago due to symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, but the past year brought him even more health struggles.
The actor, 61, has broken several bones, suffered an infection and has had trouble walking, he revealed in a new cover story with People. However, the “Back to the Future” star said he’s “coming through” on the other side of all these injuries.
“I broke my cheek, then my hand, then my shoulder, had a replacement shoulder put in and broke my (right) arm, then I broke my elbow,” Fox said. “I’m 61 years old, and I’m feeling it a little bit more.”
He added that he came down with an infection after getting surgery to help heal his broken hand. Not being able to use his hand created balance issues and made him more susceptible to falls, he told the outlet.
“I’m coming through where the last of my injuries are healing up; my arm is feeling good. Life is interesting,” he said.
Now his “whole mission” is “don’t fall down.”
Fox said he’s using many “tools” to stay upright, including a walker, wheelchair, a cane or even “a guy with a belt around my waist holding onto it.”
He adds: “I’m just getting to where I’m walking steadily again.”
Fox, who typically exudes optimism, added that the physical toll impacted his mental attitude as well.
“I was never really a cranky guy, but I got very cranky and short with people,” he said, but tried to “nip it in the bud.” When working with aides, he said he’d have them imagine he said “please” and “thank you” and “absorb that I might have said that if I were more myself.”
As Fox’s healing journey continues, he’s getting back to doing on-screen work with an upcoming AppleTV+ documentary, which is about him and “the many different ways of looking” at his life, he said. The documentary is expected to release in 2023.
Earlier this year, Fox announced on the “Working it Out” podcast that he was stepping away from acting roles because Parkinson’s disease was affecting his memory and cognitive ability to read scripts.
“I couldn’t remember the lines,” Fox said at the time. “I just had this blank ... I couldn’t remember the lines.
He expressed the same sentiment to People: “I couldn’t focus on a line … I didn’t beat myself up. I couldn’t do it, so I didn’t do it anymore.”
His last role was in 2020 for a two-episode appearance on “The Good Fight.”
Read more at usatoday.com.
