A scene in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time…In Hollywood resonated with Michael J. Fox and came rushing back when he decided to retire from acting in 2020.
Speaking to Empire Magazine, Fox said he — like the Tarantino film’s Rick Dalton character (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) — had difficulty remembering his lines while on set for The Good Fight.
“I thought of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Fox said. “There’s a scene where Leonardo DiCaprio’s character can’t remember his lines anymore. He goes back to his dressing room and he’s screaming at himself in the mirror. Just freaking insane. I had this moment where I was looking in the mirror and thought, ‘I cannot remember it anymore.’”
Fox drew strength from that moment, unlike the film character. “[I was like] ‘Well, let’s move on,’” he said. “It was peaceful.”
Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1991 at age 29. A new film, Still, documents his battle against the disease. It premieres today on Apple TV+.