Michael J. Fox Reveals He's Struggling to Memorize Lines for Acting

Michael J. Fox is getting candid about his condition.

The 59-year-old Family Ties actor, who was first diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1998, revealed 22 years later that the disease has taken a toll on his memory.

“My short-term memory is shot,” he told People.

“I always had a real proficiency for lines and memorization. And I had some extreme situations where the last couple of jobs I did were actually really word-heavy parts. I struggled during both of them,” he admitted.

While memorizing is becoming difficult, he is dedicating his time to writing. His fourth memoir, No Time Like the Future, arrives on November 17.

“I’m down to this. My guitar playing is no good. My sketching is no good anymore, my dancing never was good, and acting is getting tougher to do. So it’s down to writing. Luckily, I really enjoy it,” he explained.

At the beginning of the year, he had a very special Back to the Future reunion.