As actor Michael J. Fox continues to adjust to living with Parkinson’s Disease, he continues to also navigate his life and career like a pro. He’s an extraordinarily upbeat guy, but it’s not been all rainbows and sunshine on the path he’s been on, not by any stretch. He’s had plenty of good times, mostly because he has such a loving wife and family, but he’s also had more than his share of incredibly dark times. Recently, Fox opened up about how challenging it is to be a working actor when you can no longer memorize lines effectively. Think about that for a minute, how devastating that can be.
The man has to memorize words for a living and he’s struggling to do that. “My short-term memory is shot,” the 59-year-old recently told People. “I always had a real proficiency for lines and memorization. And I had some extreme situations where the last couple of jobs I did were actually really word-heavy parts.” He adds that during both of those jobs, he struggled to remember his lines. Fox was diagnosed with the debilitating disease in 1991, but he didn’t announce it until seven years later. In recent years, the courageous actor has experienced a fall that shattered his arm, a tumor, and surgeries.
Also, he has had to relearn how to walk and has been through lots of physical therapy. The fact is, he just can no longer do some of the things he once took for granted and he’s struggled to come to terms with that. He shares that he’s also had several moments that made him question everything. He does everything he can do to work with the effects that this disease has on his speech, and that includes vocal exercises that help to sharpen his projection and diction. However, one thing he’s focusing on now is something he’s been able to hone over the years, and that is writing.
Michael and his family, via Facebook
“I’m down to this,” he said. “My guitar playing is no good. My sketching is no good anymore, my dancing never was good, and acting is getting tougher to do. So it’s down to writing. Luckily, I really enjoy it.” See, he’s a guy who has learned to roll with the punches. He has a memoir, his fourth, coming out on November 17th and it’s titled “No Time Like the Future.” He says, “Life is rich. Life is good,” and adds that “Optimism is sustainable when you keep coming back to gratitude, and what follows from that is acceptance,” Fox said. “Part of gratitude is acceptance and accepting that this thing happens … accept it for what it is.”
