Michael J. Fox didn’t sugarcoat his feelings when he reached out to Bill Lawrence.
After binge-watching “Shrinking,” the Apple TV+ comedy featuring Harrison Ford as a therapist navigating life with Parkinson’s disease, Fox had just one question for his former “Spin City” boss.
“Bill, why the f— am I not on the show?”
That characteristically blunt phone call—delivered with Fox’s trademark comedic timing—sparked a collaboration that brings the actor back to television in Season 3 of “Shrinking,” premiering Wednesday on Apple TV+.
From Phone Call to Powerful Performance
Fox, diagnosed with Parkinson’s at just 29 years old, connected deeply with Ford’s portrayal of Paul, a therapist grappling with his own diagnosis. The authenticity and nuance in the writing struck a chord.
It’s so human and it was accessible for me. I know what that is.
For Lawrence, the call was both unexpected and welcome. He’d grown accustomed to believing Fox each time the actor announced retirement from acting—and this time seemed no different.
The co-creator had personal stakes in portraying Parkinson’s authentically. Co-creator Brett Goldstein’s father has the disease, Lawrence’s grandfather had it, and his own father lives with Lewy bodies dementia with Parkinson’s symptoms.
Playing a Character, Not Himself
In Season 3, Ford’s character Paul notices his Parkinson’s symptoms progressing and schedules a doctor’s appointment. In the waiting room, he encounters Gerry—Fox’s character—a fellow patient who maintains his humor despite the disease.
Fox insisted on playing an actual character rather than appearing as himself, a choice Lawrence calls “so much cooler for a writing team.”
I want to play a character.
This marked Fox and Lawrence’s first collaboration since the actor guest-starred on “Scrubs” in 2004, following his departure from “Spin City” after four seasons to manage his health.
The Reality Behind Retirement
Fox’s most recent retirement announcement came in his 2020 book “No Time Like the Future,” where he acknowledged that symptoms were making on-set work and line memorization increasingly difficult.
The decision crystallized while working on “The Good Fight,” struggling with lengthy legal dialogue. He found himself facing a mirror in a moment reminiscent of Leonardo DiCaprio’s scene in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”—but with a very different reaction.
I can’t do it. I can’t do this anymore. So, let’s just get this puppy done as best I can and move on with my life.
Yet retirement didn’t mean disappearing. After leaving “Spin City,” Fox had actually retired once before, only to discover a new niche playing characters with various ailments—translating his Parkinsonian symptoms into cancer on “Boston Legal” and a form of Parkinsonism on “The Good Wife.”
What Drew Him Back
Watching “Shrinking” reignited something in Fox. The depth of character development, quality of relationships, and sophisticated writing impressed him immediately.
I saw Billy’s show, and I just thought, it’s fantastic. The depth of character, the quality of relationships, the language—it’s just a beautiful show. And I thought, just do that for its own sake.
He emphasized having no agenda beyond the work itself—no comeback campaign, just appreciation for exceptional storytelling.
Chemistry With Harrison Ford
Fox didn’t know what to expect working alongside Ford, despite sharing mutual connections like Robert Zemeckis and Steven Spielberg. What he discovered exceeded expectations.
I didn’t know he’d be as cool as he was and sweet to me. He was tender.
Lawrence witnessed Ford’s emotional response to working with Fox, noting how moved the legendary actor was by the collaboration.
Ford’s dedication to authenticity impressed both Fox and Lawrence. He requests videos from medical advisors, studies movement patterns meticulously, and reviews takes to ensure accuracy in portraying Parkinson’s symptoms.
“F— Parkinson’s” and Finding Community
The encounter between Paul and Gerry produces the season’s rallying cry: “F— Parkinson’s.” While Fox has developed countless personal mantras over the years—often to his kids’ chagrin—one philosophy stands out.
Let’s deal with what is. It’s all about stepping in the light and figuring out what’s next on the agenda.
Gerry returns later in Season 3, reinforcing the importance of peer support among people living with Parkinson’s. Lawrence emphasizes that only someone experiencing the disease truly understands what it’s like.
Fox draws confidence and purpose from feeling part of the Parkinson’s community, particularly through his foundation work. Since founding the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research in 2000, he’s remained deeply involved in efforts to find treatments and a cure.
Redefining Success and Identity
When Fox left “Spin City,” his primary focus was spending time with his children, then ranging from young kids to teenagers. Now 64, with children ages 24 to 37, he’s entering a new phase.
They’re cooked. I don’t have to worry about them anymore. Now my wife and I have an empty nest, so I’m happy to dip my toe back in more.
He’s quick to clarify this doesn’t signal a full-scale career relaunch—just selective opportunities that resonate creatively.
Fox speaks candidly about daily struggles, including times when he slides down a wall and can’t get up—referencing the old “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up” commercial as a real-life experience rather than punchline.
Rather than blocking out difficult experiences or living in denial, he maintains access to those emotions and realities. This honesty allows him to bring authentic perspective to roles and potentially enlighten audiences.
A Career Transformed, Not Truncated
Looking back, Fox rejects the notion that Parkinson’s simply shortened his career. Instead, it transformed and expanded possibilities in unexpected ways.
This whole thing, some might say, truncated my career; maybe in one aspect, but it made it more dynamic in other aspects and more laden with possibility. At the core of it, I’m still just an actor. I’m the happiest sitting on a set with Harrison Ford, making people laugh.
Lawrence observed how Fox’s “retirement” from “Spin City” actually launched him into intense activity with foundation work. Attending one of the foundation’s events, Lawrence was struck by the pervasively hopeful and optimistic culture—an atmosphere that reinforced the storytelling approach for “Shrinking.”
Fox’s philosophy centers on discovering versions of yourself you weren’t actively seeking—challenges that land on your doorstep demanding you move through them rather than around them.
You find another version of yourself that you weren’t looking for, one you wouldn’t know to go looking for. It just lands in your doorstep and you either try to get around or you go through it. I just try to go through it.
Season 3 of “Shrinking” premieres Wednesday on Apple TV+, with the series already renewed for a fourth season.