Sharing his story. Michael J. Fox is opening up about his career, life and Parkinson’s disease in STILL: A Michael J. Fox Movie.
“I decided to create this documentary for a couple reasons, first bringing awareness to this disease has been very important to me for years and I wanted to continue that work through film,” Fox, 61, exclusively reveals in the newest issue of Us Weekly. “The second is for my fans. They, along with my family, [has][have] been the reason I have been able to go on. As I say, my fans gave me life and I wanted to be open about mine.”
Still, which premieres on Apple TV+ on May 12, recounts the Back to the Future star’s life and career in his own words. The film — directed by Davis Guggenheim — uses documentary, archival and scripted elements to revisit Fox’s most impactful memories. Still debuted at the South by Southwest festival earlier this month, earning a standing ovation from the crowd.
“Michael has felt like this has been an amazing experience sharing his story. He is getting to connect with fans like he never has before and it’s filling him with such joy and promise,” a source close to the Canada native tells Us. “Michael has always been very connected and lifted up by the Parkinson’s community and this has been no different. All of his biggest supporters from his foundation were at SXSW and were involved in the documentary as well.”
Fox first revealed in 1998 that he had been diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson’s disease seven years earlier when he was 29. The Teen Wolf star has since become an advocate for Parkinson’s research and launched his eponymous foundation in October 2000. The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research has become the largest nonprofit source of funding for Parkinson’s disease research in the world, per the organization’s website.
“You deal with the condition, and you deal with people’s perception of the condition,” the Spin City alum — who retired from acting in 2020 amid his health battle — told AARP in their March 2017 issue of his diagnosis. “It was easy for me to tune in to the way other people were looking into my eyes and seeing their own fear reflected back. I’d assured them that, ‘I’m doing great’ — because I was. After a while, the disconnect between the way I felt and the dread people were projecting just seemed, you know, funny.”
He added at the time: “The truth is that on most days, there comes a point where I literally can’t stop laughing at my own symptoms. Just the other morning I come into the kitchen. ‘Oh good, coffee. I’m gonna get some! No, wait — I’m gonna get some for Tracy [Pollan]’ — who’s at the table with the paper. I pour a cup — a little trouble there. Then I put both hands around the cup. She’s watching. ‘Can I get that for you, dear?’ ‘Nah, I got it!’ Then I begin this trek across the kitchen. It starts off bad. Only gets worse. Hot java’s sloshing onto my hands, onto the floor.”
The Family Ties alum and Pollan, 62, have been married since 1988 and share four children: Sam, 33, twins Schuyler and Aquinnah, both 28, and Esmé, 21. Fox’s brood — including his wife — have remained his biggest supporters amid his Parkinson’s battle and filming Still.
“Tracy has always been Michael’s biggest cheerleader, from before his diagnosis and nothing changed after, if anything it brought them closer together,” the insider notes of the Inventing Anna alum. “Seeing how Tracy stepped up and helped in every way, she could [make] Michael fall in love with her more and he enjoys showering her with love and gifts these days.”
The insider continues: “This documentary has taken up a lot of his time, but Tracy is thrilled to see him being so creative and see how good this process has been for him.”
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For more details on Fox’s Still documentary, pick up the latest issue of Us Weekly, on newsstands now.
