Lucky Man by Michael J. Fox Chapter 8

Lucky Man by Michael J. Fox Chapter 8

Lucky Man by Michael J. Fox Summary (Question and Answer)



Chapter Eight

CHAPTER EIGHT – Unwrapping the Gift
1 255-6 Fox tells his readers that, for a person who wanted to keep their medical condition a secret, the ‘on-off phenomenon’ was of particular significance. What is this phenomenon and why did Fox find it particularly difficult to cope with? The ‘on-off phenomenon’ expresses two conditions someone with PD would cycle between. Whilst ‘on’, their condition was completely under control and, to anyone other than a trained medical specialist, there would be no outward sign of the condition. However this changed dramatically whilst a sufferer was ‘off’ when they would suffer all of the classic symptoms which included rigidity, shuffling and severe tremors. The ‘on-off phenomenon’ was difficult for any PD patient, however it was especially significant for one who wished to keep their condition a secret because whilst ‘off’ they knew that they could not let anyone else see them.
2 257 Fox suffered from many different effects of PD including Micrographia. What is this condition and how did it help a stockbroker friend of Fox first identify that they might have a neurological problem.

Micrographia is the condition of writing using tiny letters. Whilst ‘off’, Fox found that he sufferers from this and gives an example for his readers to see.

 

It helped a stockbroker friend of Fox first see an expert in neurological diseases when their secretary confronted them about their shrinking handwriting and recommended that they went to see an expert.
3 262 As the third series of Spin City started to be filmed in 1998, a number of tabloids and other newspapers had begun to suspect that Fox was suffering from a ‘mystery illness’. Finally the truth seems to have leaked out but, faced with both a potential legal suit and a loss of daily sales due to a potentially negative reaction from their readers, the newspapers agreed to bury the story. What finally convinced Fox to go public with his story? Keeping the secret was becoming increasingly difficult and also increasingly stressful which itself had a detrimental effect on Fox’s health. Faced with the inevitability of the situation, and wanting to make the announcement on his own terms, Fox finally decided to go public with the story and tell the world.
4 268 During a pause in taping for an interview on the subject with Barbara Walters, Wendy and Barbara found themselves in an argument. What was this over and how was it resolved. In a pause during the filming, Barbara had seen Fox struggling to get his arm into the sleeve of his jacket. She asked him if it was a symptom of his condition. When she learned that it was she was eager to have him recreate the event on camera. Wendy opposed the idea claiming that it would look like a deliberate attempt to gain sympathy. After a brief argument, Barbara and Wendy ended up hugging each other, with Barbara announcing how lucky Fox was to have Wendy by his side.
5 272 As soon as the news hit the public, ‘all hell broke loose’. Fox was inundated with telephone calls, emails and letters from friends, acquaintances, newspapers and every media station in existence. Caught in the chaos of the event, and hating every moment of it, what happened to convince Fox that he had done the right thing? Fox was deliberately trying to avoid the media circus but decided to go online to read what was being discussed on PD websites and forums. He discovered the story of one man who had been asked why his hand was shaking. The PD patient responded by saying that he had Parkinson’s to which the person responded by saying, ‘oh, just like Michael J. Fox’. With this reaction, the PD patient writes that ‘for the first time in years I didn’t feel embarrassed’. After reading this, Fox realised that his revelation was going to do some good and educate many people about the disease. After that he realised that ‘everything is going to be OK’.
6 277 Fox writes that he learned a great deal over this period, perhaps most importantly how common it was for PD sufferers to try and hide their disease from the rest of the world. Fox claims that three important reasons for this include being ‘considered bizarre, a freak, or an object of pity’. In addition to these concerns, however, there was an even more pressing concern for many young adults. What was this? For many young adults keeping their PD a secret was a survival strategy as they were scared that, if it was public information, they would face prejudice which would damage their career, their mortgages and their bank loads among other things.
7 278 Fox claims that, even though PD is currently untreatable, modern medical science has made a number of exciting breakthroughs which leave many convinced that the question isn’t ‘if Parkinson’s disease will be cured but when.’ With so much promising and apparently exciting work to be done in the field, Fox claims that there is one reason above all others why there isn’t more research for a cure being conducted. What is this reason? Despite the promising breakthroughs which have been made, Fox argues that there is a lack of political will caused, in no small part, by the prevalence of PD suffers who choose to keep their condition a secret rather than making it public and pressing for a cure.
8 285 Returning to continue filming the third series of Spin City, Fox is nervous how the audience will respond to him now that they know about his condition. How do they respond and how does Fox feel as a result. The crowd responded very ‘positively’, ‘supportively’ and ‘generously’ resulting in Fox telling his readers that at that moment, ‘my fear that I would now and forever be defined by my disease melted away.’
9 291 After four seasons and over 100 episodes of Spin City, Fox finally decided to leave the show at the start of 2000. However, the show didn’t end. Which famous actor was brought in to take the role of deputy Mayor to replace Fox? Charlie Sheen came in to fill the roll.
10 293 With Fox’s retirement from the show, he was nominated for another Emmy. What quote does he now think would have been most appropriate for him to have said and what would this have meant. Fox now thinks that it may have been most appropriate for him to have said simply ‘now I feel five foot five’. This comment would have contrasted with the speech he made the first time he accepted an Emmy when he told the audience that he felt ‘four foot tall’. As this autobiography has shown, Fox slowly came to terms with, not only his disease, but also who he really was and wanted to be. This final comment would have represented to Fox a feeling that, for the first time, he felt no more and no less than he really was.
11 300 Since leaving Spin City, Fox has become an outspoken advocate of the need for more research into PD, arguing that: ‘The time for quietly soldering on is through. The war against Parkinson’s is a winnable war, and I have resolved to play a role in that victory’. As a result of this, Fox took a very interested stand point during the US elections in the year 2000. Why did he feel the need to write an article in the New York Times questioning George W. Bush’s policies? George W. Bush was opposed to the use of stem cell research.  Fox’s article argued that federal funds should be used to support research in this area as nothing could be more ‘pro-life’.

 



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Lucky Man by Michael J. Fox Chapter 7

Lucky Man by Michael J. Fox Chapter 7

Lucky Man by Michael J. Fox Summary (Question and Answer)



Chapter Seven

CHAPTER SEVEN – Like a Hole in the Head
1 238 In March, 1998, Fox was due to undergo surgery for PD. The operation did not offer a cure, but it did promise to try and alleviate the symptoms which now included a tremor which dominated Fox’s entire left hand side of his body. Whilst there were many medical and logistical issues and concerns that such an operation raised, what seemed to be paramount in Fox’s mind and how did he go about achieving this goal? Among all of the medical and logistical concerns that undergoing surgery involved, Fox seemed to be most concerned with ‘secrecy’. Accordingly he had booked into a nearby hotel and would only arrive at the hospital a short time before his operation. He had chosen a time and location which would offer the actor privacy and, as a final piece of insurance, he had hired a private security agency to handle the event and minimise the chance of word getting out.
2 243 It wasn’t long after Fox returned home from filming The Frighteners in New Zealand, that he was contacted with a view to him starring in a new Gary Goldberg comedy. Whilst Fox was excited to work with the man with whom he had enjoyed such success with Family Ties, Fox was sceptical as he wanted to do something completely different to the family based comedy genre which he had been type cast in ever since. In the end, the project Goldberg had in mind was indeed very different. What was the name of the show and did it prove to be the success that Fox hoped it would be. The show was called Spin City and was about the political ups-and-downs of the mayor and deputy mayor of New York. It proved to be a major success.
3 246 When Fox had contacted Dr. Cook about the surgery, he had offered two reasons for wanting it. The first was that Fox was finding it increasingly difficult to hide the symptoms of PD from the audience of Spin City, and the second concerned his young son, Sam. Dr. Cook was sceptical of the first reason arguing that television series come and go, but concluded that “A lot of people can be on TV, but only one person can be our kid’s father’. What had Fox told Dr. Cook to make him reach this conclusion? Fox had explained to Dr. Cook that, given how violent the tremors had now become, even the simplest paternal activities such as reading to his son had become almost impossible.
4 250 Dr Cook outlined the operation to Fox, his mother and Tracy. The operation was going to be very serious and there was the chance of something going wrong which could lead to any number of consequences ranging from paralysis to death. At the end of the Doctor’s explanation of the procedure,  Fox asked the doctor why he thought it was that Brain Surgery above all else, even rocket science, is thought of as one of the hardest of human feats. What was the doctor’s response, and how did it make Fox feel? The doctor responded by saying, ‘No margin for error’. This response appealed to Fox who thought that it encapsulated the issue perfectly. However the more he thought about how perfect the answer was, and the implications it had for him, it made him feel increasingly nervous.
5 253 The operation proved to be a great success, and the tremor, which now ran right the way down Fox’s left hand side of his body, had improved significantly as a result. Just two days after the surgery Fox was cleared by Dr. Cook to fly to the Caribbean with his family to enjoy some rest and relaxation. Despite the success of the operation, there was now something new which was concerning Fox. What was this? Fox was indeed grateful that the tremors down the left had side of his body had been brought under control, but he now noticed, for the first time, that he was experiencing the start of tremors in the right had side of his body.



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Lucky Man by Michael J. Fox Chapter 6

Lucky Man by Michael J. Fox Chapter 6

Lucky Man by Michael J. Fox Summary (Question and Answer)



Chapter Six

CHAPTER SIX – Year of Wonders

1

211

Fox phoned Joyce, the psychiatrist recommended by Tracy, on Boxing Day. How would she describe how Fox sounded on the phone when she was asked to recall the event many years later?

Joyce says that Fox sounded like ‘a little boy who’d rather die than admit how scared he was’

2

213

These sessions proved remarkably effective and Fox and Joyce were soon meeting three times a week to discuss his issues. As a result of these sessions, Fox claims that ‘the smoke began to clear’ and together they were able to tackle many of the deep seated problems that he had. However there was one problem that Joyce was unable to attend to. What was this and how did Fox now go about addressing it?

Joyce was of course unable to deal with the medical issues associated with Fox’s PD. At Joyce’s recommendation, Fox now started to see a new neurologist called Dr. Ropper who was able to start Fox on a new and more long term series of treatments for his condition.

3

219

1994 saw Greedy, Fox’s second film with Universal, ‘bomb at the box office’ leaving CAA, his new agents, with a very tough challenge ahead of them if they wanted to resurrect his career. Rather than chasing commercial success in the way he had been, Fox now instructed his agents that he was only willing to work on projects he genuinely wanted to do telling them to contact him if Woody Allen phoned. To his surprise this is exactly what happened. What project did Allen want Fox for?

Woody Allen was adapting his classic stage comedy, Don’t Drink the Water, for television and he wanted Fox for the role of Axcel McGee, the incompetent son of an American Ambassador.

4

228

After filming The American President and The Frighteners, the latter being the third and final film that Fox was under contract to make, the actor made an important, though controversial decision about the future of his career. What was this and what were the reasons behind this decision?

Fox decides to return to Television comedy. He had a number of reasons for this decision. First of all, he felt that the most gifted writers were now working on television. Secondly he wouldn’t be working for anyone, but instead going into a project as a full partner. Thirdly, given Dr Ropper’s prognosis, Fox had six or seven years left. He wanted to be able to be honest with his new partners and do so without concern as this was exactly the length of time needed for a successful network comedy series.

5

231

After much introspection during the Spring of 1994, Fox finally decides to allow his wife and child to witness the symptoms of his condition. He also makes another surprising decision. What was this?

He decided to study for and sit his General Equivalency Diploma Test which he duly passed.

6

235

With Tracy pregnant again, Fox accompanies her to see an obstetrician. As they examine the baby, they make a surprise discovery. What was this?

Fox at first thinks that he sees a deformity when he looks at the spine of the child before Tracy and the obstetrician correct him. Tracy is expecting twins.

7

237

Inducing a slightly early birth, Tracy had twin daughters in February, 1995. The first daughter was named Aquinnah, after their favourite town in Martha’s Vineyard where they had spent so many happy weeks together, and the second one was named Schuyler. Why was this?

Schuyler was Dutch for scholar or teacher, a name which Fox felt was especially apt as he had learned so much over the past ‘year of miracles’.



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Lucky Man by Michael J. Fox Chapter 5

Lucky Man by Michael J. Fox Chapter 5

Lucky Man by Michael J. Fox Summary (Question and Answer)



Chapter Five

CHAPTER Five – Reality Bites

1

160

In January, 1990, Fox found himself in a desperate hurry to get to Vancouver. Why was this?

Fox found himself in this hurry because his father had just been rushed to hospital there. Though still alive, the outlook was not good.

2

164

Whilst planning the memorial service for their father, Fox and his four siblings found themselves in an argument following a careless throwaway line from Fox. Upon closer thought, what did Fox think had really upset his brother, Steve?

Steve had been at the house when their father was taken ill and he had made all of the arrangements as best he could. When he informed Fox of the situation, Steve was told by his brother that the family had to do the best they could for their father and if necessary that meant flying him to Seattle by private jet. Fox tells his readers that this cavalier approach to the problem, and to Steve’s attempts and capacity to deal with it, lay behind his brother’s justified anger toward him that evening.

3

171- 178

Less than two years later, and Fox has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease by two separate doctors and is now consulting a third. Based on Fox’s age, The doctor is extremely doubtful of the previous two diagnoses but agrees to inspect him nonetheless. Relieved that this doctor doubts the previous opinions, Fox is certain that he is going to learn the truth from this latest consultation. What is he told?

This doctor ultimately tells Fox that he is very sorry, but he does indeed have ‘Young Onset Parkinson’s Disease.’

4

181-2

Fox begins by using Eldepryl to treat his condition but quickly moves on to Sinemot which proves far more effective in controlling the tremors he was experiencing in his left hand. Why did the success of Sinemot elicit ‘decidedly mixed feelings’ from Fox.

Fox has mixed feelings about the success of Sinemot because the doctors tell him that the success of the drug is proof positive that he has Parkinson’s Disease (PD), and yet its effectiveness in controlling the symptoms now made it possible for Fox to hide this fact from the outside world.

5

185

Why does Fox jump at an offer from Universal Studios which would lock him into a five year contract for three films?

The doctors have now told him that he only has ten years of good acting left. With the weight of that news, Fox was determined to make the most of it. Despite the drawback of signing with one studio at the expense of all others, Fox felt that this maximised his opportunity to make the most of his time professionally.

6

186

Faced with P.D, Fox decides to distract himself with a serious diet and fitness regime. Whilst the programme seems tough in many ways, what was the most difficult aspect for Fox?

The most difficult aspect of his new fitness and diet routine was that he had to limit his alcohol intake.

7

191-193

Fox quickly descended into further drink abuse as a way of coping with his diagnosis; however one series of events convinced him that he had to finally quit drinking. Outline Fox’s last night of drinking and how it made Fox feel.

Fox had been on an all night drinking binge when he returned home. Accidentally waking up his wife, he crept to the fridge to get a beer. He never finished this bear as sprayed all over him and Fox ended up spending the night asleep on the sofa. The next morning he was woken up by his three year old son. He expected Tracy to be angry but she was remarkably calm, almost ‘indifferent’ to his behaviour the night before. This reaction made Fox realise that he had hit rock bottom, at least as far as drinking was concerned.

8

199

1993 saw two films starring Fox open in cinemas, including the first of the three films that he had signed with Universal to make over the next five years. Both of these films received poor reviews and failed at the box-office. On top of these disappointments Fox was being sued. Explain why this was.

Fox was being sued by someone he had sold a house to. They claimed that there were serious pre-existing defects with the house which had caused serious emotional and physical distress. Accordingly the claimant was filing for a multimillion dollar lawsuit – many times the value of the house.

9

203

Whilst Fox’s defence lawyer was able to effectively argue against the charges, the process as a whole laid Fox’s everyday life bare to him for the first time. As a result he became deeply introspective and ended up writing a long rambling series of memos and letters to himself. What conclusion did he come to as a result?

Reading his own ramblings, Fox came to the conclusion that he was indeed in need of professional help and he decided to get in contact with a psychologist whose number Tracy had earlier given him when she had tried, unsuccessfully, to convince him to make contact with a professional.



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Lucky Man by Michael J. Fox Chapter 2

Lucky Man by Michael J. Fox Chapter 2

Lucky Man by Michael J. Fox Summary (Question and Answer)



Chapter Two

CHAPTER TWO – The Escape Artist
1 38 Fox’s father was a Sergeant in the Royal Canadian Army. What was his specific responsibility? He worked in the signal corps encoding and decoding messages for the army.
2 39 What does PMQ stand for and what were these like, according to Fox? PMQ stands for Permanent Married Quarters. According to Fox, these were neither especially comfortable nor spacious but did provide unrivalled security given their location on an army base.
3 41-2 Fox recounts a story about his grandmother who, during WWII, received two separate telegrams informing her that Harry and Kenny, two of her sons serving in the armed forces, were missing presumed dead. Sometime later she received news that both had survived and were alive and well albeit now Prisoners of War. Whilst she reacted very badly to the first telegram which concerned Kenny, she was less concerned about the second. Why was this? A few days after the second telegram she had a dream which she interpreted as meaning that Harry, like Kenny, had survived. She put total faith in this premonition. Thankfully for the family, this indeed proved to be the case.
4 43 Causing great alarm among his family, Fox developed a tendency to wander out of his parental home and meet the neighbours who would invariably return him to his increasingly exasperated mother. On one trip he visited a local sweet shop whose owner telephoned to report the appearance of the missing child. His mother asked the owner to give him some candy while his father came to get him, adding that Fox’s father would of course pay for the sweets when he arrived. Why did the owner respond by laughing? Fox’s father did not need to bring any money to pay for the candy as Fox had taken his father’s entire transfer allowance with him to the store and thus had plenty of money to buy the candy.
5 48 Both his father and his grandmother hold very important places within Fox’s heart, albeit for very different reasons. Explain this. Fox’s father is described as a realist who always looked for the safe and functional solution to a problem. On the other hand Fox’s grandmother is described as a dreamer who encouraged Fox’s eccentricities and fuelled his ambitions, hopes and desires.
6 50 Why, in 1963, could Fox’s father apply for a larger house than was normally available for a man of his rank? With news of a fifth child on the way, the family were eligible for a housing upgrade which they duly applied for and eventually recieved.
7 55 Why did Fox’s grandfather have a tattoo of a thoroughbred with a horseshoe shaped laurel of roses draped around his neck tattooed on his left bicep? As a teenager during the war, he worked briefly at a race track and, owing to his diminutive size, potentially had the chance of becoming a jokey. This was a dream he realised on a small number of occasions leading to a drunken decision to get the tattoo. With the end of the war and the return of a generation of soldiers, this dream vanished but the tattoo remained.
8 55-56 Whilst watching an old home movie in which his father seems to display a great sense of pride and happiness on Christmas Eve whilst staring at the Christmas tree which was surrounded by presents, what does Fox conclude that his father was thinking? Having gone through a difficult and impoverished childhood in which his mother left the family unexpectedly and his father frequently had to work away from home to help the family survive financially, Fox decides that the tree surrounded by presents represented two important things to his father. First of all, the abundance of presents represented financial stability and even success which had been so lacking in his childhood. Secondly, and even more importantly, the presents represented a strong familial bond, another important aspect lacking in his childhood.
9 60 The young Michael J. Fox proved to be one of the favourite topics of conversation at family gatherings when various members of the family would discuss his progress at school, whether he needed medication to help him grow or medication to help him concentrate during lessons. How did Fox’s grandmother always react to such concerns about him and his future? Fox’s grandmother would always tell the rest of the family not to worry about Fox because he was going to be fine. In fact, he was going to do very well for himself. She even told people that he would be famous when he grew up.
10 64 When Fox reached Junior High School, he could take electives, a wide selection of optional courses from which he had to choose a limited number. Which two subjects did he take? As his electives, Fox decided to take guitar and acting.
11 64 Whilst learning to play the guitar, Fox met a young man called Andy Hill with whom he formed a band. What was the name of that band and where did it come from. The band was called Halex, and the name was taken from the brand of ‘ping-pong’ balls they used at the school.
12 68 Fox spent one summer working with his mother as a clerk. In exchange for completing any number of menial tasks, he was paid a total of $600 for his summer’s labour. Whilst this endeavour pleased his parents no end who no doubt hoped that this was the start of a more grounded focus for the young Fox, what he decided to spend the money on proved less popular. What did he spend it on? He used the $600 to buy a new guitar, replacing the cheap Japanese copy he owned with a real Fender.
13 70 By his sixteenth birthday, Fox was spending most of his time with a more rebellious group of kids with whom he frequently drank and smoked. Fox tells his readers that he was in a downward spiral at this stage, one which many young men of his age experience. What does Fox call the bottom of such a journey? Fox refers to this as teenage wasteland.
14 71 Before Fox could progress any further down this spiral, he got a stroke of luck. What was this? He was invited to audition for a show about a twelve year old boy. Even though he was sixteen his height and youthful features meant that he could pass for the age and his added maturity helped him land the role and the $6000 dollars it paid.
15 75 Described as a ‘great irony’ by Fox, he found himself receiving great reviews for his professional acting but was failing high school drama along with every other subject. Why was this? He was working long hours on the television set for Leo & me and more often than not would fail to make it into school the next day. His high absentee rate contributed to his trouble at school.
16 75 After a lengthy discussion with the school, Fox’s parents eventually decided to support his decision to ‘drop out’. This was partially due to their promise to do so if they couldn’t convince the school to take his professional acting into consideration when grading him, but it was also dependent on another reason. What was this? Fox’s parents told him that because his grandmother had been so strong in her beliefs, they would have felt like they were ‘letting her down’ had they not supported his decision to drop out of school to pursue acting as a full time career.



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Lucky Man by Michael J. Fox Chapter 3

Lucky Man by Michael J. Fox Chapter 3

Lucky Man by Michael J. Fox Summary (Question and Answer)



Chapter Three

CHAPTER THREE Hollywood High

Fox’s dad shocked him when he said, ‘Well, if you want to be a lumberjack you’ve got to go to the forest’. What did he mean by this and did Fox have to ‘go to the forest’ alone?

If you are a lumberjack then you have to go where the trees are. In the same way, if you want to be an actor you have to go where the work is and that means Hollywood. Contrary to Fox’s expectation, not only was his father supportive of his plans but he also came with him and paid for the adventure.

 

Fox’s trip to Hollywood proved to be a success and he was made three firm offers for acting work however the choice of film was easy. What film did Fox decide to accept and on what basis did he make that decision?

Fox decided to accept a role in a Disney feature called Midnight Madness. He describes his decision as an easy one as this was the only film to start shooting after his eighteenth birthday which, for legal reasons and labour laws, made it the obvious option to take.

 

Moving to California shortly after his eighteenth birthday, Fox could only afford a very small studio apartment. The apartment was so small that it was impossible to use the sink to wash up his cutlery and utensils. What did he decide to use for this function?

Fox’s only option was to use the shower to wash his dishes.

 

Once in California, Fox was forced to adopt a new name. Why was this and how did he make his selection?

The Screen actors Guild prohibit two of their members from using the same name and as there was already a Michael Fox, he was forced to adopt a new name. He eventually chose Michael J. Fox as he disliked his own middle initial of E. and was a fan of Michael J. Pollard whose middle initial he promptly added to his own name.

 

Fox found himself surrounded by different people who were willing to provide him with services for a percentage of his earnings. At the time he thought of these people as allies, with hindsight he now thinks that he was at the centre of a ‘feeding frenzy’. What does Fox mean by this?

The people who surrounded him were all keen to work for him but took a very sizable cut of his earnings. By feeding frenzy, he likens these people to predators hunting a victim and he was their pray off of whom they were feeding.

 

Fox describes auditions as being like hell. He lists a number of considerations which any aspiring actor needs to have in mind including not looking too fat, but not too skinny. Not too young, but not too old. Above all, however, Fox offers one piece of advice. What is this?

Above all else, Fox tells any aspiring actor to never look desperate – something which he himself was finding increasingly difficult after the series he was working on, Palmerstown, was cancelled. This left him with no job and a long list of creditors demanding money.

 

When, in 1982, Fox was given a call-back for a show called Family ties, he was both surprised, given the length of time which had elapsed since he read for the part, and desperate. After three years working in Hollywood, Fox had little financially to show for his efforts and in fact, since Palmerstown was cancelled, His parents and family had been helping to support him for a number of months whilst he looked for another job. Such had been his luck, that even they were now recommending that he returned home and gave up on his dream of acting. In a last ditch attempt to land a job he went to the call back. What last minute piece of advice did Fox receive and why was he sceptical that this was possible?

He was told to make his character more ‘lovable’. He thought that this was going to be next to impossible as his character was a ‘know it all, tie wearing, Nixon worshipping teenager who valued money above all else’.

 

After Michael J. Fox’s character in Family Ties becomes an international success, Fox recalls presenting Brandon Tartikoff, one of the NBC executives responsible for hiring him in the first place, with a custom made lunch box emblazoned with his own image. Why did he do this?

Ehilst other NBC executives thought Fox was perfect for the role, Brandon had argued against hiring the actor for two main reasons. First of all he thought that Fox was too short to conceivably be the son of the two lead characters who would play his parents and secondly because Fox ‘didn’t have a face which could appear on the front of a lunch box’. Fox’s gesture amounted to telling Brandon that he was wrong. America had loved his character and Fox had helped make them both successes.

 

With Family Ties proving to be a massive commercial success and the low budget film Teen Wolf, in which Fox played the lead role of an adolescent werewolf, proving to be an unexpected triumph, Fox got a piece of exciting news. Steven Spielberg had started to shoot a new film but was unsure of the actor who had been cast in the lead role. Originally the director had wanted Fox to take the part and now he was insisting upon it. What was the name of this film?

The name of the film was Back to the Future.

 

This period of Fox’s life represented a period of unadulterated success on both television and the big screen. He had become one of the most famous actors in America and his name was a household word. How did Fox feel about his success?

Fox thought that it was all a matter of luck, and despite things continuing to go from strength to strength, he admits to harbouring secret doubts about the future.

 



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