Michael J Fox says achieving fame in the 1980s was harder: ‘You had to be talented’

Fox said that actors rising to stardom in the Eighties were ‘tougher’

Michael J Fox has said that celebrities who became famous during the Eighties were much “tougher” than the ones rising to fame now, thanks to social media

In a recent interview with People magazine, the Emmy-winning actor, who made his name in the 1980s following his roles in Family Ties and Back to the Future, compared the state of the entertainment industry now to when he got his first big role.

Fox recalled being told by someone that he was “Eighties famous”, which made him realise the differences between achieving fame then and now.

“I thought, wow, that’s cool. Eighties 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. Left to our own resources. And it was an amazing time.”

He was later asked if he thought becoming famous back then was harder than it is today.

“Well, you had to be talented. That helped,” he responded.

“We used to bust our a**, 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.”

Michael J Fox as Marty McFly in ‘Back to the Future' (Universal Studios)

Fox hasn’t acted since 2020 because his Parkinson’s disease made it increasingly difficult to remember dialogue.

The Back to the Future star, who rarely makes public appearances, was met with a standing ovation in February when he appeared at the Baftas to present an award.

Fox was diagnosed with the condition in 1991, aged 29, but didn’t announce it publicly until seven years later.

He told People: “I didn’t want to put it out there, but, given the nature of Parkinson’s, it was going to become evident sooner or later.”

“Todd Gold [the reporter] was really good. He said, ‘How can I tell this story, get the most out of it for you, get the most out of it for Parkinson’s – which I hadn’t thought about yet, what impact it would have on the community?’”

Parkinson’s disease is a condition in which parts of the brain become progressively damaged over time. The main symptoms include involuntary shaking of particular parts of the body, slower movement and stiff or inflexible muscles.

Fox photographed in April (Getty Images for The Michael J.)

There is currently no cure for the disease, but treatments are available to help reduce the main symptoms and maintain quality of life for as long as possible.

Fox credited his wife Tracy Pollan, and his family and team for helping him through the challenges he’s faced, and with the running of his foundation, The Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, which he created in 2000.

“With the help of family, with the help of people that I work with, I’ve been able to meet those challenges and go beyond them and do new things,” Fox said. “And the whole thing is just keep having new experiences, whether it’s experiences that push forward, what we’re trying to do and our mission with foundation.”