Michael J. Fox Says His Time With Princess Diana Was A Nightmare

Feelings Drama

Transcript

00:00It's not every day that you get to watch Back to the Future beside Michael J. Fox himself,

00:05but Princess Diana was lucky enough to be seated next to the star for the film's 1985

00:10world premiere in London. The feelings were mutual, as it was a dream come true for the

00:14actor to be in the company of the beloved princess and her then-husband, Prince Charles.

00:19During a November 2020 appearance on The Tonight Show, Fox recalled to host Jimmy Fallon,

00:24Unfortunately, this story doesn't end with a happily ever after for the princess and the movie star.

00:39Fox said his fantasy quickly turned south thanks to an emergency — a bathroom emergency, that is.

00:45Instead of striking up a casual conversation with Princess Diana, Michael J. Fox found himself

00:50regretting his last beverage as he sat beside the stunning royal. Fox explained to Fallon,

00:56"'What happened was the movie started and all of a sudden I had to go pee,

01:00and so for the rest of the movie I'm sitting there, like, dying. I can't say anything to her

01:03and I can't walk away from her cause I can't turn my back on her.' So it was just agony."

01:08Fox, who was on the talk show to promote his new book, No Time Like the Future, can laugh about

01:13the event now, but at the time, he said it was genuinely difficult to hold it in until after the

01:18flick. Luckily, the actor said Diana seemed to enjoy the movie, and she even let out a couple

01:23of elegant giggles. Frankly, he was relieved she, quote, wasn't booing it. Just like we imagine she

01:29would be, Fox said she was very sweet and that sitting in her presence was quite the pleasant surprise.

01:35Unsurprisingly, Michael J. Fox's retelling of his encounter with Princess Diana,

01:39using humor and a strong dose of humility especially for an esteemed actor, feels similar to his approach

01:45to more serious and difficult topics, including his Parkinson's disease diagnosis.

01:50Fox, who was diagnosed in 1991 at the age of 29, shared in a 2017 interview with AARP that despite

01:57the fact that the symptoms of Parkinson's can affect his day-to-day, he still views it with a large

02:02heaping of levity. The actor said during his interview,

02:05"'The truth is that on most days, there comes a point where I literally can't stop laughing at my own

02:10symptoms.'" Fox also went on to explain, "'You deal with the condition, and you deal with people's

02:15perception of the condition. It was easy for me to tune into the way other people were looking into

02:20my eyes and seeing their own fear reflected back. I'd assure them that I'm doing great, because I was."

02:25Michael J. Fox has also shown the same kind of attitude and grace in situations in which he's

02:30been the subject of bias-based ridicule towards his Parkinson's diagnosis and disability. In 2006,

02:36the actor was targeted by conservative pundit and radio personality Rush Limbaugh after Fox appeared

02:42in an ad for Democratic candidate Claire McCaskill, who was running for Missouri Senate seat at the time.

02:47Limbaugh mocked Fox for what he perceived to be an exaggeration of his Parkinson's symptoms, stating on

02:52air, "'This is really shameless of Michael J. Fox. Either he didn't take his medication or he's acting.'"

02:58Shortly after Limbaugh made his ableist comments, the radio host was quickly forced to apologize — something

03:04he did reluctantly and inconclusively. According to The Guardian, Limbaugh said,

03:08"'I will bigly, hugely admit that I was wrong.'"

03:12However, he went back on the offensive days later. He attempted to cite a passage in Fox's 2002

03:17memoir Lucky Man in which the actor recounted missing doses of his medication before a Senate

03:23subcommittee hearing in order to, quote, "'highlight the effects of the disease.'"

03:27In response to Limbaugh's actions, Fox praised the success of his treatment for Parkinson's

03:31rather than Limbaugh's harmful personal crusade. The actor stated,

03:35"'I'm kind of lucky right now. It's ironic. My pills are working really well right now.'"

03:40Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus,

03:42even more Nicki Swift videos about your favorite stuff are coming soon.

03:46Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended