Michael J. Fox has sent an emotional message to fans amid his continued battle with Parkinson’s disease.
The Back to The Future actor, who recently shared some bittersweet family news, made the comments while being interviewed by US Weekly about his upcoming AppleTV+ documentary STILL: A Michael J. Fox Movie.
The feature length film tells the story of the now 61-year-old’s life and career with the disease following his diagnosis back in 1991 when he was just 29.
Speaking in the interview released on Friday, Michael explained the two main reasons which motivated him to work on creating the documentary.
Firstly, the Hollywood actor explained that his aim was “bringing awareness to this disease,” an aim which he described as having “been very important to me for years and I wanted to continue that work through film.”
But then the Family Ties sitcom star continued: “The second is for my fans. They, along with my family, [have] been the reason I have been able to go on.
“My fans gave me life and I wanted to be open about mine,” he finished emotionally.
During his press tour for the documentary, the Canadian-born A-lister has opened up a lot more about his and his family’s experience living with his Parkinson’s.
While taking part in the Q&A after a screening of his documentary at SXSW in Texas earlier in March, Michael, who was joined at this 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 continues to navigate life with the neurological condition.
“Parkinson’s sucks, but it’s a great life, so thank you for it,” he said. “Pity is a benign form of abuse. I can feel sorry for myself, but I don’t have time for that.
“There is stuff to be learned from this, so let’s do that and move on.”
Still premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2023 and will be released on AppleTV+ on May 12.
