Michael J. Fox Said A ‘Once Upon A Time In Hollywood’ Scene Convinced Him To Retire From Acting

Michael J. Fox has a new film out: a documentary about his life called Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie. It finds the beloved actor reflecting on his life and career, especially how it was impacted by Parkinson’s disease. A few years ago he formally retired from the profession that made his name, citing escalating health concerns. In a recent interview, he revealed what made him go through with the difficult decision.

In an interview with Empire (in a bit caught by Deadline), Fox — who’s spoken about how his condition made remembering lines difficult — said a scene in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood really resonated with him.

“There’s a scene where Leonardo DiCaprio’s character can’t remember his lines anymore,” Fox explained. “He goes back to his dressing room and he’s screaming at himself in the mirror. Just freaking insane. I had this moment where I was looking in the mirror and thought, ‘I cannot remember it anymore.’”

Instead of making him feel worse, Fox said the scene gave him the strength to do what was necessary. “[I was like] ‘Well, let’s move on,’” he said. “It was peaceful.”

Fox’s last onscreen acting credit was in a 2020 episode of The Good Fight. That doesn’t mean he’s retired from the public eye. He makes appearances now and then, including a Back to the Future reunion with Christopher Lloyd earlier this year. Then there was that time last year when Woody Harrelson, while presenting him with a humanitarian award, told a wild story about that time Fox puked up a cocktail of cobra blood.