With Still, Michael J. Fox wanted to get real about sharing his journey with Parkinson's disease

When Michael J. Fox was approached by an Academy Award-winning producer to make a movie of his slow, smothering embrace by Parkinson's disease, the re‐ tired movie and TV star de‐ manded only one condi‐ tion.

That there be "no condi‐ tions," said Fox.

Producer Davis Guggen‐ heim, who already had an Os‐ car for An Inconvenient

Truth was willing to give Fox a producer's sign-off to get at the core of the story of a bril‐ liant career decimated by a chronic disease. But Fox didn't want it.

"He said, 'Well, here's the way I work, you get three ob‐ jections to three major plot points,' and I said, 'No, that's not my pressure, that's your pressure! I'll show up and you roll cameras!' "

The result, a documentary called STILL: A Michael J. Fox Movie, was released on Apple TV+ earlier this month after having its Canadian premiere at Hot Docs. Fox sat down for an interview with CBC's Harry Forestell to reflect on making the film and sharing his jour‐ ney with Parkinson's disease in such a public way.

Watch the full sit-down in‐ terview with actor Michael J. Fox during CBC's The Na‐ tional on Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET on CBC News Net‐ work.

"Nothing I did in this movie, nothing I do in my life, is for effect. I'm too old, I'm too tired, I can't do it," Fox said. "But if it's real then it's the easiest thing to do."

The comic actor, who first rose to fame on the sitcom Family Ties, then broke out into superstardom as Marty

McFly in the Back to the Fu‐ ture movies, has been bat‐ tling Parkinson's for more than 30 years.

WATCH | Fox says Parkin‐ son's disease helped him 'learn to lose well':

Keeping his diagnosis se‐ cret

Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disease that affects the nervous sys‐ tem. According to Parkinson Canada, more than 100,000 Canadians live with the dis‐ ease.

Parkinson's is a progres‐ sive condition and there are no known cures, although various treatment options can help to alleviate symp‐ toms.

Forestell, who also has Parkinson's, noted that the film touched on a tendency of younger Parkinson's patients to hide their condition for as long as possible, and Fox ex‐ plained why he kept his 1991 diagnosis a secret for seven years.

"I needed to learn a lot of stuff, and if I just threw myself out to the masses before I knew what the hell I was talk‐ ing about, they were going to form that narrative for me," he said.

"They were going to tell my story for me before I knew what my story was."

WATCH | How Fox's fami‐ ly embraced 'acceptance':

Fox says he initially used drinking as a coping mecha‐ nism while hiding his diagno‐ sis.

"When I got diagnosed it turned nasty. It wasn't about fun anymore, it was about ex‐ iting from the situation," he said.

Only after getting sober, a process he said was "like hav‐ ing a knife fight in a dark clos‐ et," was Fox able to see a big‐ ger picture.

"Over the course of that seven years I got sober, we had more children, I grew fuller in my understanding of what it was that I was dealing with."

Acceptance and learn‐ ing to lose well

He says acceptance has been a big part of his journey.

"The doctor said to me 'You don't win this, you lose,' " Fox said.

"I like to win, I don't like to waste my time with stuff, I like to go after it, and so that was the dilemma I faced. If I really learned from this, it was to learn how to lose well."

WATCH | The trailer for STILL: A Michael J. Fox Movie:

In 2000, he launched the Michael J. Fox Foundation, which has raised more than $1.5 billion and contributed to advancements in Parkinson's research and placed an em‐ phasis on incorporating the experiences of Parkinson's patients when it comes to steering research efforts.

"At the beginning when we first started [the foundation], people would say, 'Well, what are we doing?' And I'd say 'Pu‐ rity of motive, purity of mo‐ tive,' " Fox said.

"I don't want to be politi‐ cally motivated, I don't want to be connected, I don't want to be connected with money, I don't want any of that crap! I want to sit down and figure out how to solve this prob‐ lem."

Still was produced and di‐ rected by Guggenheim, whose 2006 film An Inconve‐ nient Truth won the Academy Award for best documentary.

Support from fans, fami‐

ly

Fox says he's been struck by the reception Still has re‐ ceived.

"It's just flooring me how people are responding to it, and loving it," he said.

Fox, who has four children with his wife, Tracy Pollan, noted that his family is also supportive of the film.

"They love it — and not so much love it, that's the wrong way to put it. Another big word in our house, besides joy, is acceptance," Fox said.

"And so we learn to accept things, so if that's what I wanted to do, and they un‐ derstood why it was impor‐ tant for me to do it, they ac‐ cept it."

Fox believes sharing his Parkinson's diagnosis publicly has helped create a wider awareness around the dis‐ ease and its symptoms. He hopes that has resulted in people having more empathy for those living with the dis‐ ease.

"I'm just living beat by beat," Fox said. "And the easi‐ er I can make it for those around me, the better."