“One of the things I’m most happy about, with all the things I’ve done over the past 25 years, is helping take the shame out of having Parkinson’s. There used to be a lot of shame, for whatever reason, around having Parkinson’s,” Michael J. Fox said in a recent interview with Joe Nocera, veteran business journalist and author, in The Free Press.
In the article, “Two Drinks with … Michael J. Fox,” Nocera asks Michael about his recent return to acting on season three of the award-winning Apple TV series, Shrinking. This marks Michael’s first live-action role since retiring in 2020 — both a personal achievement for him and an inspirational moment for the Parkinson’s community worldwide.
“Despite his physical difficulties, Fox is an incurable optimist, and he is utterly fearless about living his life – publicly – with Parkinson’s,” Nocera writes of him.
In the piece, Nocera emphasizes the $463 million that The Michael J. Fox Foundation funded in Parkinson’s disease research last year alone — almost twice as much as the federal government.
“Parkinson’s breakthroughs can usually be traced back to the Foundation’s leadership and money,” he writes. “Fox and its driving force and inspirational leader — and, along with many of America’s roughly 1.1 million Parkinson’s patients, also its beneficiary.”
Nocera calls The Michael J. Fox Foundation “by far the most important institution in the world fighting Parkinson’s,” pointing to the scientific breakthroughs that have reshaped the research pipeline in recent years — advances that have helped Michael along in his own Parkinson’s journey.
As Nocera points out, Michael does not sugarcoat the grimmest parts of living with Parkinson’s disease. He brings this lived experience and optimistic spirit to his daily life, as well as his character Gerry, in Shrinking, portraying the daily realities of Parkinson’s with both honesty and nuance.
“I always have to give it attention, Michael said of his Parkinson’s disease, “but I don’t have to give it respect.”
Michael speaks openly about the frustrations of living with Parkinson’s, but he’s also proud of his decision to share his diagnosis publicly, standing as an advocate for people and families affected by Parkinson’s — a constant optimist and a powerful driver of change.
“A long time ago, when I decided to disclose that I had Parkinson’s — and it came after a long deliberative process — I said I need to see where this fits in my world and see how I can use it. And that’s what I’ve done,” Michael said. “As a result, when people see me or talk to me, there is a connection that wouldn’t have been there otherwise. There’s an understanding.”
That connection continues to power both Michael’s work on screen and the Foundation’s leadership in the charge toward a cure for Parkinson’s — and improved therapies for people living with the disease today. Through Michael’s optimism and candor, momentum continues to build toward a better future for everyone affected by Parkinson’s.
Read the full article, on The Free Press, here.