Michael J. Fox revealed to Empire magazine (via IndieWire) that Leonardo DiCaprio and Quentin Tarantino crossed his mind when he made the decision to quit acting for good amid his Parkinson’s disease. The ‘Back to the Future’ icon was filming scenes from the TV series ‘The Good Fight’ at the time and had trouble remembering his lines.
“I thought ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,'” Fox said. “There’s a scene where Leonardo DiCaprio’s character can’t remember his lines. He goes back to his dressing room and he yells at himself in the mirror. Just crazy. I had that moment of looking at myself in the mirror and I thought, ‘I don’t remember. Well, let’s move on. It was peaceful.
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The scene Fox is referring to is one of Tarantino’s most memorable “Hollywood” sequences. DiCaprio’s character, actor Rick Darlton, has an over-the-top meltdown forgetting his lines and trashing his trailer in a fit of rage. Tarantino previously revealed that DiCaprio improvised the meltdown.
“It wasn’t in the script actually, so we never rehearsed it or anything,” Tarantino said. “Leo had a whole thing. At one point it was like, ‘Look, I need to fuck up during the ‘Throw’ sequence, okay? And when I screw up during the ‘Throw’ sequence, I need to have a real crisis of conscience about it and I have to get over it.'”
Fox recently graced the cover of Variety magazine and spoke honestly about living with Parkinson’s disease. The actor said: “I’ve won more awards and had more nominations since announcing my diagnosis. People may feel bad for me, but I prefer to see it as recognition for continuing to have a legitimate career.
When presented with the idea that he’s a hero for living so openly with his diagnosis, Fox said, “It’s just a nice way for people to let me know they’re moved by my acceptance of things and how I tried to make a difference. But no matter how much I sit here and tell you about how I’ve philosophically accepted it and put on its weight, Parkinson’s continues to kick my ass. I won’t win this. I’m going to lose. But there is a lot to gain in defeat.
Fox’s biographical documentary “Still” is now available to stream on Apple TV+.
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