Michael J. Fox revealed to Empire magazine (via IndieWire) that Leonardo DiCaprio and Quentin Tarantino were on his mind when he decided to retire from acting for good amid his Parkinson’s disease. At the time, the ‘Back to the Future’ icon was filming scenes for the television series ‘The Good Fight’ and was having trouble remembering his lines.
“I was thinking ‘Once Upon A Time In Hollywood,'” Fox said. “There is a scene where Leonardo DiCaprio’s character can no longer remember his lines. He goes back to his dressing room and yells at himself in the mirror. Just insanely crazy. I had a moment where I looked in the mirror and thought, ‘I can’t remember. Well, let’s move on.’ It was peaceful.”
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The scene Fox referenced is one of the most memorable sequences in Tarantino’s “Hollywood.” DiCaprio’s character, the actor Rick Darlton, has an over-the-top breakdown as he forgets his lines and destroys his trailer in a fit of rage. Tarantino previously revealed that DiCaprio improvised the meltdown.
“It wasn’t actually in the script, so we never rehearsed it or anything,” said Tarantino. “Leo had a whole thing. At one point it was like, ‘Look, I have to screw it up on the ‘Lancer’ sequence, okay? And if I screw up on the ‘Lancer’ series, I must have a real crisis of conscience and I must come back from that.’”
Fox recently graced the cover of Variety magazine and spoke honestly about living with Parkinson’s disease. The actor said: “I’ve won more awards and more nominations since announcing my diagnosis. People may feel sorry for me, but I prefer to see it as recognition for continuing a legitimate career.”
When Fox got the idea that he’s a hero for living so openly with his diagnosis, Fox said, “It’s just a nice way to let people know that they’re moved by my acceptance of things and the way I’ve handled things. tried to make a difference But no matter how much I sit here and talk to you about how I accepted it philosophically and took the weight of it Parkinson’s still kicking my ass I’m not gonna win here I’m gonna lose But there is plenty to gain from losing.”
Fox’s biographical documentary “Still” is now available to stream on Apple TV+.
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