Michael J. Fox has issued an emotional message to fans amid his ongoing Parkinson’s disease battle.
The Back to the Future actor, who recently disclosed some heartbreaking family news, made the remarks while speaking with US Weekly about his upcoming AppleTV+ documentary STILL: A Michael J. Fox Movie.
The feature-length film chronicles the now 61-year-life old’s career with Parkinson’s since his diagnosis at 29 in 1991.
Michael outlined the two primary reasons that pushed him to work on the documentary in an interview released on Friday.
To begin, the Hollywood actor stated that his goal was to “raise awareness to this condition,” which he defined as “extremely important to me for years, and I wanted to continue that effort through cinema.”
But then the Family Ties star added, “The second is for my fans. They, along with my family, are why I’ve been able to continue.”
“My fans gave me life, and I wanted to be open about mine,” he said, visibly moved.
On his publicity tour for the documentary, the Canadian-born A-lister revealed much more about his and his family’s Parkinson’s disease experience.
During a Q&A following a screening of his documentary at SXSW in Texas earlier this month, Michael, who was joined at the event by his wife of almost 35 years, Tracy Pollan, admitted that while “Parkinson’s sucks,” he “doesn’t have time to feel sorry for himself” as he navigates life with the neurological condition.
“Parkinson’s stinks, but I have a great life, so thank you,” he added. “Pity is a kind of maltreatment. I could bemoan myself, but I don’t have time for that.”
“There is something to be learned from this, so let’s get it done and move on.”
Still will have its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2023 and will be available on AppleTV+ on May 12.