Michael J. Fox says one of Leonardo DiCaprio’s performances gave him the “peaceful” impetus to quit acting.
The star, who officially retired from acting in 2020, revealed in one Current interview with Empire that watching DiCaprio’s role in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood helped him settle into the decision.
The 61-year-old shared in 2020 that he was in a “second retirement“because he”I could not rely on my ability to speak on a given day,” which made acting uncomfortable.
Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1991 at the age of 29, but admitted he had lived with “seven years of denial” before revealing his diagnosis to fans in 1998.
The Back to the Future star told the outlet it helped him to see one of DiCaprio’s scenes in the 2019 film, in which the 48-year-old Oscar winner plays a fading Hollywood leading man struggling with realization fighting his career coming to an end the added impetus of retiring.
“I thought of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” [and] There’s one scene where Leonardo DiCaprio’s character can’t remember his lines,” Fox said. “He goes back to his dressing room and yells at himself in the mirror. Just amazing.”
He went on to say the actor’s role reminded him of his own real-life struggles, adding, “I had this moment where I looked in the mirror and I was like, ‘I don’t remember this anymore.’ Well, let’s continue.’ It was peaceful.”
Last month, the popular actor opened up about his shortened life expectancy, noting that “every day is harder.”
“You don’t die of Parkinson’s. “You die with Parkinson’s,” he said in one “CBS Sunday Morning” interview.
“I’ve been thinking about mortality. … I won’t be 80,” he added. “Every day is harder.”
Fox’s documentary Still about his journey with the terminal illness is now streaming on Apple TV+.