Michael J. Fox is opening up about the ups and downs of his life and career in the upcoming Apple TV+ documentary STILL: A Michael J. Fox Movie.
In the first trailer for the film, released Thursday, the actor recalls how his life took a sharp turn after he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease at the height of his career in the late 1980s.
"I was being bubblegum," he said of his period of immense success in which he was the star of a hit sitcom, Family Ties, as well as such blockbuster films as Back to the Future. "I woke up [one day] and I noticed my pinky. Auto animated. Parkinson's disease."
The most poignant moment of the visual followed when the 61-year-old revealed how his wife Tracy Pollan, who he'd recently wed in 1988, reacted to the news.
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"I told Tracy the news. 'In sickness and in health' I remember her whispering," he shared. "No one outside of my family knew."
The actor was diagnosed with the neurological disorder when he was just 29 years old, less than two years after marrying Tracy, who he struck a relationship with on the set of Family Ties in the 1980s. Tracy played girlfriend Ellen to his protagonist Alex P. Keaton.
© Getty ImagesReflecting on his diagnosis, Michael previously told CBS Mornings that finding out he had Parkinson's was a challenging and emotional reality for him and his wife.
"So very early in the marriage, [Tracy] got this dumped on her. And the moment that I told her I was realizing was the last time we cried about it together," he said.
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"We haven't cried about Parkinson's since. We've just dealt with it and lived our lives. But we cried about it that first time," Michael recalled to host Nate Burleson.
Michael has since taken a break from acting, partly due to his struggle with learning lines because of his neurological condition, but has pivoted his efforts to activism, having raised over $1 billion to help find a cure for Parkinson's through his organization, The Michael J. Fox foundation.
© Getty ImagesThere is currently no cure for Parkinson's disease, but treatments are available to help relieve the symptoms and maintain a prolonged quality of life for those diagnosed.
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