Why Michael J. Fox returned to acting despite Parkinson’s impacting his ‘ability to memorize lines’

Michael J. Fox returned to acting earlier because his new character in “Shrinking” allows him “to show up on set as” himself.

Speaking to People in an interview published Wednesday, the Emmy-winning actor gushed about how “insanely fun” it has been to play Gerry, who also has Parkinson’s.

Fox, who began experiencing symptoms in 1990 when he was just 29, first retired in 2000 after publicly sharing his diagnosis three years prior. After making several cameos on “Scrubs” and “The Good Wife,” he was forced to step away again in 2020.

The “Back to the Future” actor, 65, described that a “new variable emerged,” which was losing his “ability to memorize lines,” on top of controlling his tremors and balance issues.

“Of course, things have gotten harder over the years,” he said. “There’s a time for everything, and the time for 12-hour workdays was behind me.”

However, “Shrinking” — created by his friend Bill Lawrence — allows him to “use how [he feels] on any given day and channel it into the scene.”

The “Family Ties” actor was first diagnosed with Parkinson’s — an incurable degenerative disorder impacting the central nervous system — in 1990 and publicly disclosed his diagnosis in 1997. 

Despite his diagnosis, Fox continued acting, starring on “Spin City” from 1996 to 2001. He also guest-starred on “The Good Wife” between 2010 and 2016. 

However, during a brief appearance on “The Good Fight” in 2020, he lost his “ability to memorize lines” and stepped back from acting until his 2026 stint on “Shrinking.” 

“My short-term memory is shot,” he told People in November 2020, gushing about his “real proficiency for lines and memorization” before “struggling” during his “last couple of jobs.” 

In January, Fox told the Los Angeles Times that he related to the scene in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,”  in which Leonardo DiCaprio’s character “lays into himself in the mirror and just goes insane and drinking and crying at his lack of ability to memorize lines.”

Fox found himself in a similar situation, “in front of a mirror and I went, ‘Meh! I can’t do it. I can’t do this anymore.’”

However, he returned to the screen in Season 3 of “Shrinking,” which aired from January to April. 

The Emmy-nominated series follows therapist Jimmy Laird (Jason Segel, also the show’s co-creator), whose friend and colleague,  Dr. Paul Rhoades (Harrison Ford) has Parkinson’s disease. Fox’s character, Gerry, also has Parkinson’s and befriends Paul. 

His new role has earned Fox an Emmy nomination.

In his Sept. 9 interview with People, Fox also said that he hasn’t ruled out more acting roles in the future, but he’s currently focused on his Michael J. Fox Foundation, which he founded in 2000.

“The Foundation’s work is about driving toward a world without Parkinson’s,” the actor said. 

“The science is showing we’re getting close.”