Michael J. Fox: From Tiger Beat to AARP

Actor laughs at career trajectory as he prepares to return to TV

Michael J. Fox jokes in a recent interview that his long career has taken him to demographic extremes.

"I went from Teen Beat and Tiger Beat… to AARP,"  he said to Access Hollywood. "There's some great tips about colon health!"

The "Family Ties" and film star is preparing to return to NBC with a new sitcom next season that draws from his own family life and battle with Parkinson's disease. He plays a news anchor who's life, like the actor's, has been disrupted by Parkinson's.

Fox, 51, said he didn't question whether to address his real-life struggle onscreen.

"Well, I don't have a choice," he said. "You can sit and project out and say, 'Oh, I'm going to have this and it's going to be like this and I won't be able to do that.' But it's much more about right now. 'What can I do right now?' Right?"

He added: "I just thought, I love to do this and as much as anyone will let me do it and give me their time to do it – I should do it. And so, I'm doing it."

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