Michael J Fox to return to acting for the first time in five years

The star has avoided acting due to his worsening symptoms of Parkinson’s disease

Back to the Future star Michael J Fox is set to return to the acting world with a major guest-star role in season two of Apple TV+’s hit series Shrinking.

The comedy-drama starring Jason Segel and Harrison Ford follows therapist Jimmy Laird as he deals with the grief of his wife’s death, by telling his patients exactly what he thinks.

While the details of Fox’s role are currently being kept under wraps, it may be connected to the arc of Ford’s character Dr Paul Rhoades. At the end of the first series, it was revealed that Paul has Parkinson’s disease, a disease that Fox has been battling for three and a half decades.

Symptoms of the disease include involuntary tremors, slow movements, and stiff and inflexible muscles, as well as potential memory loss and problems sleeping.

The Family Ties star temporarily retired from acting in 2020 after the disease made it too difficult for him to continue.

Last year, he expressed his desire to return to the acting world if he were ever fit and able, hinting that he would likely take a role that allowed him to portray his “challenges” with Parkinson’s Disease. He said: “I would do acting if something came up that I could put my realities into, my challenges if I could figure it out.”

“If someone offers me a part and I do it and I have a good time, great,” he told Entertainment Tonight.

Michael J Fox starred in the cult classic Back to the Future as Marty McFly (Universal Pictures)

In 2000, the five-time Emmy winner launched the Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research which has become the leading Parkinson’s organisation in the world. To date, they have raised over $2.5 billion (roughly £1.9 million) to fund treatments and a potential cure.

The Shrinking role would also be a reunion between Fox and the show’s co-creator and executive producer Bill Lawrence. Fox starred in Lawrence’s first TV series, Spin City, in which he played the fictional Deputy Mayor of New York. Unfortunately, Fox had to leave the show after the fourth season due to his worsening symptoms.

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Fox last graced our TV screens for two episodes of The Good Fight back in 2020. He also featured as himself in the 2021 mini-series Expedition: Back to the Future in which Josh Gates and Christopher Lloyd attempted to hunt down the time machine from the original movie and return it to the star.

Earlier this year, Fox wowed fans by recreating two iconic Back to the Future scenes at the Fan Expo New Orleans to celebrate the cult classic’s 40th birthday.

Fox recently received an honorary Academy Award and the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his acting achievements and Parkinson’s advocacy.