In 1991, actor Michael J. Fox was experiencing tremendous success. He starred in the Back to the Future trilogy and the movies Doc Hollywood, Teen Wolf and The Secret to My Success. But that year, at age 29, he also found out he had Parkinson's disease and kept it secret from the public for the next seven years.
In a new documentary, Still, Oscar-winner Davis Guggenheim explores Fox's life from the height of his stardom to his diagnosis and beyond as he continued his career post-announcement.
In the trailer, viewers see Fox on the set of Back to the Future and then a montage of Fox in multiple hit movies. Now 61, Fox provides commentary, explaining how he first noticed symptoms of what turned out to be Parkinson's and how he decided that he wouldn't let his diagnosis ruin his life.
"I'm a tough son of [expletive]" Fox says.
Per the Apple+ press release, the documentary will offer full access to Fox and his family, including his children and Tracy Pollan, his wife of three-plus decades. It described the doc as what happens when an "incurable optimist confronts an incurable disease."
In a screening of the documentary at South By Southwest in March, Fox said his approach to his diagnosis was rooted in acceptance.
"Pity is a benign form of abuse," he said. "I can feel sorry for myself, but I don't have time for that. There is stuff to be learned from this, so let's do that and move on."
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