Michael J. Fox Not Taking Roles With Long Dialogue Because of Memory Struggles Amid Parkinson's Battle

etonline.com:

Michael J. Fox is struggling with memory loss, but the beloved actor has come to terms with the ordeal amid his battle with Parkinson's Disease.During a conversation on Mike Birbiglia's podcast, the 60-year-old said he's reached the point where his once superb memorizing skills is now failing him, which, in effect, will dictate whatever roles come down the pike.

Fox recalled a scene in Quentin Tarantino's  where Leonardo DiCaprio's character beats himself up over forgetting his lines, and it felt relatable."[DiCaprio] was doing a scene of [a] western show and he couldn't remember his lines," Fox recalled. «He went back in the dressing room, he was screaming at himself, he was like tearing into himself in the mirror, and drinking.

Just a mess. And I thought about that, and I thought, 'I don't want to feel that. Am I wrong to feel that? Am I right to feel that?'»He continued, «But here's what it tells me — I don't take on something with a lot of lines, because I can't do it.

And for whatever reason, it just is what it is. I can't remember five pages of dialogue. I can't do it. It can't be done. So I go to the beach.»Fox, who was diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disorder in 1991, also recalled a moment of serenity wash over him when he realized memorizing lines didn't come easy to him anymore, but he appreciated how he handled himself.«When I did the spinoff from, which is, I couldn't remember the lines,» Fox said. «I just had this blank… I couldn't remember the lines.