Michael J. Fox has opened up about how having Parkinson's has started to affect a crucial part of his mind. As People shares, Fox revealed that he isn't able to retain information as well as he once could, which has caused issues when it comes to memorizing lines.
Fox shares he's experiencing short-term memory loss
Fox went public with his Parkinson's diagnosis 22 years ago, and has been managing life with the disease since. However, he said that there's one area of his brain in particular that has started to suffer as a result. "My short-term memory is shot," the actor admitted to People.
And as Fox shares, this newest development of his disease has caused him to struggle with working as an actor. "I always had a real proficiency for lines and memorization," he went on to explain. "And I had some extreme situations where the last couple of jobs I did were actually really word-heavy parts. I struggled during both of them."
Fox says his career options are now "down to writing"
Fox has fortunately found another passion he enjoys— writing! "I’m down to this. My guitar playing is no good. My sketching is no good anymore, my dancing never was good, and acting is getting tougher to do," he told People. "So it’s down to writing. Luckily, I really enjoy it."
In 2018, Fox had to undergo spinal surgery and relearn how to walk. He also suffered a bad fall— which he called his "darkest moment"— but has since found a new outlook on life! "Optimism is sustainable when you keep coming back to gratitude, and what follows from that is acceptance," he shared. "Accepting that this thing has happened, and you accept it for what it is."
Diagnosed with Parkinson's in 1991...
Michael J. Fox: How Is The 'Back To The Future' Star Doing These Days?
"It doesn’t mean that you can’t endeavour to change," he continued. "It doesn’t mean you have to accept it as a punishment or a penance, but just put it in its proper place. Then see how much the rest of your life you have to thrive in, and then you can move on."
Earlier this year, Michael J. Fox reunited with his Back to the Future co-star Christopher Lloyd in a special Instagram video. And fans of the actor-turned-writer who want to read his latest work will be excited to hear that Fox's new memoir, No Time Like the Future, comes out on November 17!
A living legend!
