If you saw Season Three of Shrinking on AppleTV, you probably got a kick out of seeing Michael J. Fox return to regular series television. Fox plays Gerry, a Parkinson’s patient Harrison’s shrink character Dr. Paul Rhoades meets at an appointment.
In a release Tuesday it was explained that the “candor and chemistry” between the two actors has led to a “Be a Friend” Parkinson’s brand awareness campaign from the Michael J. Fox Foundation. Fellow Canuck Ryan Reynolds is involved in getting this message out through his production company Maximum Effort.
The simple premise behind the campaign: how do you speak with someone who has Parkinson’s? As you see in the above two minute video, Ford quickly grasps the main notes, which includes, “dson’t make it weird.”
The exchange put me in mind of an interview opportunity I had several years ago in Los Angeles when Fox was attempting a comeback on the sitcom, The Michael J. Fox Show. Myself and a fellow Canadian-based reporter sat opposite Fox and asked about the series, which was somewhat based on Fox’s life. While it opened strong, ratings quickly tanked and NBC quietly shelved it mid-season.
While it was a thrill to interview Fox, Parkinson’s had taken a toll on his ability to express himself clearly and he was difficult to understand. I wondered how this master of comedy timing was going to be able to sustain the rigors of a weekly comedy series, as well as put his lines across to audiences at home. I nodded through the exchange, including the parts I could not make out, which is the very definition of making it weird.
Fox’s triumph is that, here it is 2026, and he has found ways to steal scenes on a hit show such as Shrinking, as well as in a real life video in support of Parkinson’s research — and do it opposite another guy who had a pretty active movie career in the ’80s, Harrison Ford.
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We all know folks who cope every day with Parkinson’s. The disease cut short the life of Sandra’s mother Lucia, someone I was lucky to get to know. It also afflicts a friend who has always been able to turn a phrase, film critic Leonard Maltin. Leonard is still sharing his shrewed insights on his weekly podcast with his daughter Jessie, Maltin on Movies, and makes each visit fun and entertaining.
Parkinson’s is the world’s fastest-growing neurodegenerative disease, affecting more than 6 million people worldwide. That number is projected to double by 2040. Contributions to the Michael J. Fox Foundation can be made here.
