Costco Connection - April 2009

Michael J. Fox Hollywood highlights

1982–1989 Family Ties. Stardom arrives with Fox’s role as Alex P. Keaton; he wins three Emmys, a Golden Globe and numerous other awards and nominations.

1985

Teen Wolf and Back to the Future. Fox achieves big-screen success with two iconic roles.

1987

The Secret of My Succe$s. Plays a naive kid from Kansas who finds a novel route to the top of the business world in New York.

to that point was detailed in his first memoir, Lucky Man (Hyperion, 2002). The title was not meant as irony. Fox truly means it.

In his new follow-up book, Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist, he talks about what matters the most to him—family, faith, work and politics. And the hopefulness that envelops every aspect of his life.

“You can make choices in a process like this and turn in the direction of the condition or disease,” he observes. “You can give it permission to take over.”

Fox is not giving PD that permission.

1988
Bright Lights, Big City. Stars as a young
writer who plunges into the world
of drugs and alcohol in his quest for
success in New York.

1989

Back to the Future II. The further adventures of Marty McFly.

1989

Casualties of War. Takes a dramatic turn as the lead in Brian De Palma’s heavy Vietnam film.

1990

Back to the Future III. The two sequels were actually filmed back to back within the course of a year.

1991

The Hard Way. Stars as a Hollywood action film star who gets to ride along with a real New York City cop for research.

1991

Doc Hollywood. A Hollywood-bound plastic surgeon finds himself working in a small-town hospital after causing a traffic accident.

1993

For Love or Money. Plays a concierge caught up in a love triangle that challenges his life goal.

1995

The American President. In a rare supporting role, plays an aide to Michael Douglas’ president.

The secret of my success

“I always had it,” says the 47-year-old Costco member, speaking of his optimism in an interview with The Connection at his New York office. “But it was tested at times. It was tested when I was diagnosed. It was tested when I struggled with alcohol.… Life was so easy for me. I had this career, this beautiful wife … it was just a reality check.”

Although PD was the proverbial gray cloud, Fox found the silver lining.

“What I learned was when things are bad, it’s an opportunity to look at that. If I care about the experiences I have, the quality of life is going to be better.

“Having a sense of humor is absolutely crucial,” he advises. “It’s a companion to humility. You have to kind of acknowledge that you’re the speck on an elephant’s butt.”

The humor and humility are intact, but, truth be told, Fox is more like the entire elephant. Short in stature, he towers over everyone else in presence and that eternal optimism.

Despite the wear on his body from PD, he has managed to keep his boyish look. Yet he speaks with the wisdom of a man twice his age.

“Optimism doesn’t mean you get to skip the bad stuff,” he cautions. “If you’re truly optimistic or have a capacity to hope, it should allow you to look at what’s bad and really get its measure, and say, What is the extent of this? It’s the courage to look at something and say, However bad this is, it isn’t bad infinitely.”

PHOTOS: EVERET T COLLEC TION

22 The Costco Connection APRIL 2009

1996–2001 Spin City. Wins three Golden Globes, an Emmy and numerous award nominations for his role as New York Deputy Mayor Mike Flaherty.

2002

Gets a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Doc Hollywood

Growing up near Vancouver, British Columbia, Fox was less than motivated in high school but found excitement in acting. Early success on Canadian television and in a popular play convinced him the vocation was right for him, more so than drama class.