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Michael J. Fox returns to the camera for the first time in six years. In a new clip from season three of Shrinking, premiering today exclusively on ROLLING STONE. The actor and activist can be seen alongside Harrison Ford.
The short excerpt is from the opening episode of the new season titled “My Bad,” which premieres tomorrow, January 28th, on Apple TV. In the scene, Paul, the character played by Harrison Ford – a therapist who himself has Parkinson’s disease – sits in a waiting room at a doctor’s office.
Gerry, played by Michael J. Fox, sits next to him.
Encounter in the waiting room
Gerry, whose Parkinson’s disease is significantly more advanced, opens the conversation by shaking Paul’s hand and dryly remarking: “Slight tremors – I would kill to have a damn tremor like that.” Paul replies that he suffers from stiffness and pain on the left side of his body, before adding laconically: “I tell my girlfriend that sex helps, but she’s a doctor, so she knows I’m talking shit.”
When Paul says he feels “stupid complaining to you”, Gerry waves him off: “Oh please. We’re all on the same fucking train towards misery.” A little later he adds: “Enough complaining, I’m still here. So: screw Parkinson.”
A short, haunting moment
At first, Paul is hesitant to comply with Gerry’s request to tell him directly. But when he is finally called to his appointment, he turns around again and says: “Fuck Parkinson.” Gerry repeats it – and then remarks in surprise: “What the hell? I was here first!”
Fox’s involvement in the third season of “Shrinking” was confirmed last spring. It is his first acting appearance since retiring from active acting in 2020, when he appeared in two episodes of “The Good Fight”.
Returning after a six year break
Since then, Fox has lent his voice to an animated short called “Back Home Again” and appeared in several documentaries – one about his own life and another about the search for the DeLorean time machine from “Back to the Future.”
“Shrinking” also reunites Fox with Bill Lawrence, the show’s co-creator, who was also responsible for the hit 1990s sitcom “Spin City,” in which Fox starred. Fox also had a small guest appearance on Lawrence’s other hit series “Scrubs.”
Ensemble and guest appearances
In addition to Fox, season three of “Shrinking” will feature additional guest appearances, including Daniels, Sherry Cola, Candice Bergen and Isabella Gomez. The regular cast includes Harrison Ford, Jason Segel, Christa Miller, Jessica Williams, Luke Tennie, Michael Urie, Lukita Maxwell and Ted McGinley.
