Michael J. Fox, Canadian American actor who gained fame in the 1980s for his comedic roles says that compared to today’s industry, it was tougher for them to become famous at that time. The actor announced his retirement from acting in 2020 amid his battle with Parkinson’s disease.
Michael J. Fox Says Hollywood was ‘tougher‘ in the ’80s
Michael J. Fox in Midnight Madness (1980). Image Credit: Walt Disney Pictures/Buena Vista
Michael J. Fox says that getting famous in the 1980s was much tougher compared to those who are being tagged as famous nowadays. In a recent interview with PEOPLE magazine, the Family Ties actor said that they were famous solely based on their talent.
“There’s an expression I referred to when they gave me an honorary Academy Award — somebody said to me the day before, they were talking about getting this award and being famous, and they said, ‘You’re ’80s famous,'” Fox, 62, told PEOPLE.
“I thought, ‘Wow, that’s cool.’ ’80s famous. Right, we were different. We were tougher.“
“We didn’t have social media, we didn’t have any of that crap. We were just famous,” he added. “Left to our own resources. And it was an amazing time.”
It was only the hard work they had to rely on to become famous.
“We used to bust our a-s, our acting muscles and watch other actors and sit around with other actors and talk about acting and talk about it,” Fox continued.
“And now you’ve got people who just go like, ‘Who’s your sweater? What’s your sweater you’re wearing? And what’s that dance step?’ And you’re the most famous person in the world.”
Fox rose to prominence with his role as Alex P. Keaton in the sitcom Family Ties before achieving stardom with the Back to the Future Movies.
Fox officially retired from acting in 2020 following the worsening of his health condition, as he was largely affected by a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease. Last time, he was seen in a major role on The Good Fight.
Michael J. Fox Is Open to Return to Acting But Under 1 Condition
Michael J. Fox in Back to the Future (1985). Image Credit: Universal Pictures
Though the once Hollywood heartthrob took his retirement from acting in 2020, recently, he shared his willingness to make a comeback under one condition.
The actor spoke to Entertainment Tonight and discussed the possibility of making a comeback.
“My biggest goal, I think, was to raise a family. We have four amazing kids, and that’s been the big thing,” Fox said about retiring from acting.
Talking about that one condition he said that it’s all about a good role.
“I would do acting if something came up that I could put my realities into it, my challenges,” Fox added. “if I could figure it out.”
With wife Tracy Pollan, Fox shares four children– Sam Michael Fox, 34, Aquinnah Kathleen Fox, 29, Esmé Annabelle Fox, 29, and Schuyler Frances Fox, 22.
