Michael J Fox thought he would be 'crucified' for making jokes about Parkinson's on Curb Your Enthusiasm
Michael J Fox has revealed details about the discussions that went on behind the scenes and said he thought he would be 'crucified' for jokes he made on hit sitcom Curb Your Enthusiasm.
The actor, who was diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson's disease in 1991 at the age of 29, feared viewers would hit out at his 2011 cameo with Larry David before he signed up to the role.
The show which spanned 12 seasons portrayed a fictionalised version of Larry David navigating life in Los Angeles, where he constantly became entangled in awkward situations.
In an interview with Esquire, Fox, now 65, recalled filming his 2011 cameo on the series.
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He revealed why he wanted to join the scene which saw him play Larry’s upstairs neighbour who is accused of using his Parkinson’s to get sympathy.
It shows a fictional version of David who believes Fox is going out of his way to ruin his life by wearing heavy boots and stomping around upstairs and shaking sodas deliberately.
“Oh, because it’s hilarious" he explained about the scene.
“Larry called me up and said he had this idea and I said, ‘No, they’ll crucify us. They’re gonna kill us if we do this.’
"And he said, ‘Oh, okay, well,’ I said, ‘No, that’s not a problem. That recommends it to me.’ And it was just a great time.
“It’s pure improv, except they have the central theme and they lay it out and you pick up on that and you just run it. I played myself so I can’t screw it up."
He went on to explain how fans 'really loved' it in the end, as he continued: “It was a big breakthrough, bringing people into our way of thinking, which was that we are people in society, and we have to reach out for what we need, and we have to express ourselves.
"So great. He was just so cool and so funny. He would do things that I didn’t expect.”
Topics: Entertainment, TV, Celebrity
James Holt
