Michael J. Fox Says 'Parkinson's Is a Gift' While Accepting Award for Best Documentary at National Board of Review Gala

“It was a gift because it gave me an audience to talk about what’s possible,” the actor said

Michael J. Fox talks about how Parkinson’s disease has positively affected his life.

“Parkinson’s disease was a gift,” the 62-year-old actor said during his speech Thursday at the National Board of Review ceremony in New York, where he won best documentary for his film And Beyond: The Movie by Michael J. Fox.

“It was a gift that I continue to take. It was a gift because it gave me an audience to talk about what’s possible,” he added, referring to his work on the film with director Davis Guggenheim. “We tend to think of documentaries as journalism, and they are journalism. But they’re also film. And he’s a master.”

“He tricked me into saying shit– I never would,” he continues. “And that’s why I thank you, brother, you’re just an incredible talent.”

Michael J. Fox at Netflix’s May-December New York Tastemaker Screening in New York City on November 28, 2023.

Roy Rochlin/Getty

Michael J. Fox and wife Tracy Pollan on a dinner date at the National Board of Review Gala in New York

Fox’s recent documentary More examines his rise to fame in Hollywood in the 1980s and his decades-long struggle with Parkinson’s disease. He was diagnosed at the age of 29 in 1991.

In November, Back to future the star is during an appearance on CBS Morning. “She showed me by saying, for better or for worse, in sickness or in health,” he explained. “She was able to get me through it, and go through it with me. And she’s been doing it for 35 years.”

“We knew the bus was coming and we knew it was going to hit, but we didn’t know how far it was or how fast it was going,” Fox added at the time. “At any moment, she would be forgiven for saying, ‘I’m just going out.’ But she didn’t.”

Michael J. Fox at the September 2023 Clinton Global Initiative meeting in New York on September 19, 2023.

Noam Galai/Getty

In 2000, Fox also established the Michael J. Fox Foundation, which funds research to develop therapies for people with Parkinson’s disease. He explained to Burleson that his goal was to give a voice to the voiceless.

“They had no money, they had no voice, and I thought, I might as well step in for these people and make hell,” Fox said.

He continued: “It’s not a panacea. But it’s a big spotlight on where we need to go and what we need to focus on so we know we’re on the right track, and we’re very proud.”

Still: The story of Michael J. Fox now streaming on AppleTV+.

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Source: HIS Education