What's It Like to Be Michael J. Fox?

47-Year-Old Actor on Life, Ten Years After Parkinson's Announcement

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(March 9) - A decade has passed since Michael J. Fox shocked Hollywood and his adoring fans with the announcement that he has Parkinson's disease. Now, he opens up to Good Housekeeping about how he first dealt with the illness, including his decision to wind down his acting career to focus on his foundation.
In a wide-ranging interview, during which the actor has to beat back Parkinson's-related tremors, Fox also talks about the darkest days of his marriage and how he and wife Tracy Pollan manage to keep things fresh after more than 20 years. (Hint: their motto is "Keep the fights clean and the sex dirty.")
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Michael J. Fox Snapshots

    Michael J. Fox and Tracy Pollan attend "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Cure Parkinson

    Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage.com

    (L-R) Musicians Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey of The Who, Michael J. Fox and Tracy Pollan attend "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Cure Parkinson

    Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage.com

    (L-R) Musicians Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey of The Who, Michael J. Fox and Tracy Pollan attend "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Cure Parkinson

    Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage.com

    Actor Michael J. Fox, and wife, actress Tracy Pollan attend "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Cure Parkinson

    Michael Loccisano/FilmMagic.com

    Actor Michael J. Fox attends "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Cure Parkinson

    Michael Loccisano/FilmMagic.com

    Actor Michael J. Fox, wife, actress Tracy Pollan and daughter Skyler Fox attend "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Cure Parkinson

    Michael Loccisano/FilmMagic.com

    NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 05: Director Martin Scorsese and wife Helen Scorsese attend The A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Cure Parkinson's benefit for the Michael J. Fox Foundation at the Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers on November 5, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Martin Scorsese;Helen Scorsese

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    NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 05: Actress Julianne Moore attends the "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Cure Parkinsons" benefit for the Michael J. Fox Foundation at the Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers on November 5, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Julianne Moore

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    NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 05: Actress Julianne Moore attends the "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Cure Parkinsons" benefit for the Michael J. Fox Foundation at the Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers on November 5, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Julianne Moore

    Getty Images

    NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 05: Singer Thalia attends the "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Cure Parkinsons" benefit for the Michael J. Fox Foundation at the Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers on November 5, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Thalia

    Getty Images

Life, Before/After Parkinson's: "Well, the first part of my life was to be an actor and maybe have some success at that. Then [it was time] to find somebody to be in a relationship with and have a life that way. Because of Parkinson's, I had to change: How can I be of service here? Is there something unique to my situation that I can use to help people? I did not have the wherewithal to invent that. It just happened in front of me and had me join in."
On Reaction to Him Being Sick: "At first, it was uncomfortable. Nobody likes to say, "Hey, look at me!" I got this thing, and I spent seven years hiding it. It was counter intuitive for me to do that, but almost instantly [after my announcement], I saw the first couple of days the coverage was about, you know, 'Fox's Parkinson's, blah, blah, blah.' Then, two days after that, I saw the coverage turn. It started to become, 'Can young people get Parkinson's?'."
When He Felt Like He Earned the Good Housekeeping Seal: "When I just got diagnosed, I quit drinking, and Tracy and I were having probably the toughest time we've had in our marriage. It was early on, and we came through it. We had talked about having more kids, and for a while there, every time I brought it up, she changed the subject ... And then one day we were watching Sam run through the bushes with one of his cousins, and Tracy turned to me and said, "He'd be a great brother." I knew then that she was ready to have more kids; that she trusted me [enough] to have more kids with me. And the Good Housekeeping Seal was when we got the sonogram, and it was twins. That's when you kinda knew. An extra one, a bonus baby."
On Keeping His Marriage Fresh: "Here's the thing with Tracy and me: We like focusing more on the comedy and less on the drama. The secret to a good marriage, as far as I am concerned, is a joke I make: Keep the fights clean and the sex dirty. Tracy and I are taken aback sometimes when people come up to us and give me this sad moon face and then they give Tracy a hug, and say, 'You are so strong.' We roll our eyes at each other, because we are having a really good time."
How Sick He Considers Himself: "Not very much, not very sick. It just becomes what it is. Like right now, I'm just weathering this [tremor] as I'm talking to you; I just need to pace around a little bit. [I've learned] to make the separation: It's purely a physical thing, and if you don't care what it looks like and it really does not feel that bad, then it's not that big a deal. It's just distracting. So [getting up] I am going to walk around for a second."
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2009-03-09 14:36:37
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