‘Shrinking’ co-creator Bill Lawrence, who worked with Fox on ‘Spin City’, previously told PEOPLE that the actor’s journey with Parkinson’s inspired Harrison Ford’s character on the show
Michael J. Fox is joining the cast of Shrinking for season 3, marking his return to on-camera acting since his retirement in 2020 due to his struggles from Parkinson’s
The actor previously worked with Shrinking’s co-creator and executive producer Bill Lawrence in 1996 on Spin City
In December 2024, Lawrence told PEOPLE that Fox’s journey with Parkinson’s inspired him to create Harrison’s Ford character on the Apple TV+ series
Michael J. Fox is signing on for Shrinking season 3!
The actor, 63, is joining the cast of the hit Apple TV+ series in an undisclosed role. His upcoming appearance on Shrinking will mark his return to on-camera acting since announcing his decision to retire from acting in 2020.
Though details about Fox’s character remain unknown, his casting prompts a reunion between the actor and Shrinking co-creator and executive producer Bill Lawrence. The two collaborated on Lawrence’s breakout series, Spin City, in 1996.
In fact, Lawrence previously told PEOPLE that he found inspiration for Shrinking from Fox and his journey with Parkinson’s. At the “An Evening with Shrinking at PaleyLive” event in December 2024, the producer revealed that the Back to the Future alum’s diagnosis helped shape Harrison Ford’s character in the series.
In the AppleTV+ show, Ford plays Dr. Paul Rhodes, a therapist who is navigating his Parkinson’s diagnosis as he continues to practice mental health therapy. Per the National Institute of Aging, Parkinson’s is “a brain disorder that causes unintended or uncontrollable movements, such as shaking, stiffness, and difficulty with balance and coordination.”
“It’s cool to get to write about things you care about now, and Michael J. Fox is my first mentor, so we wanted to represent it in hopefully an inspiring and not sad or tragic way,” Lawrence explained, sharing how he became “obsessed with showing the portrait of living” with the disease.
“I found the first mentor in my life and career, Michael J. Fox, to be so inspiring with the way he took it in stride and continues to work harder than anybody I know,” he continued. “And we want to kind of carry that spirit if we can into the show.”
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Fox was first diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 1991 and went public with the news in 1998. Despite his diagnosis, he continued acting in Spin City from 1996-2001 and later, The Good Wife, before announcing his retirement.
Ford, 82, has also previously opened up about portraying his character’s journey and told PEOPLE he takes the role “deadly f—— seriously.”
He admitted that he felt a responsibility of accurately playing a man with Parkinson’s, adding, “There’s no intention to make it into a joke, but there are people that absorb these kinds of experiences with grace and courage and a little bit of wisdom. And that is not to say that some people do not.”
“It’s just to say that this is a person particularly equipped to communicate what it is that it’s like, and that is something that I feel that is worth sharing with our audience,” he added.
Seasons 1 and 2 of Shrinking can be streamed on AppleTV+.
