Michael J. Fox Talks Openly About Parkinson’s In New Documentary

Michael J. Fox talks openly about his Parkinson's struggle in a brand new documentary.

We met him as Alex P. Keaton, on Family Ties. Back To The Future's Marty McFly made him an 80's an icon. Now Michael J. Fox reflects on his health and Hollywood legacy in a powerful trailer for a new documentary about his life.

Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie combines archival footage from some of Michel J. Fox's most memorable projects — including Back to the Future — with interviews, photos, and scripted recreations of key moments from his past.

The documentary synopsis reads: A short kid from a Canadian army base becomes the international pop culture darling of the 1980s - only to find the course of his life altered by a stunning diagnosis. What happens when an incurable optimist confronts an incurable disease?"

In the trailer are emotional recollections of the moment Michael first discovered Parkinson's symptoms in his finger - at the height of his fame.  "I woke up and I noticed my pinky auto-animated. Parkinson's disease," Fox says in the trailer.  "I told [my wife] Tracy the news. 'In sickness and in health,' I remember her whispering. No one outside of my family knew."

Michael l J. Fox, has been sober for about 30 years. He talks about abusing alcohol and pills following his diagnosis, which he says was an attempt "to hide" from reality. "But, all those years hiding was shaking me awake."

The story isn't supposed to be a sad one, but rather a celebration of the Michael J Fox charm that audiences fell in love with in the 80's. Director, Davis Guggenheim, can be heard telling him that the "sad-sack story is: Michael J. Fox gets this debilitating disease, and it crushes him," Fox responds: "Yeah that's boring."

"I'm a tough son of a bitch," Fox says.

Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie premieres May 12 on Apple TV+. Watch the trailer: