Michael J. Fox: Hollywood ‘Tougher’ in the 1980s, ‘You Had to Be Talented’

Actor Michael J. Fox said actors “had to be talented” to succeed in 1980s Hollywood, believing the decade had a “tougher” barrier for entry.

Fox, who rose to stardom in the 1980s as the Reagan-era Republican Alex P. Keaton in Family Ties and the time-traveling teenager in Back to the Future, told People magazine that Hollywood has changed over the decades.

“There’s an expression I referred to when they gave me an honorary Academy Award — somebody said to me the day before, they were talking about getting this award and being famous and they said, ‘You’re ‘80s famous,’” Fox recalled. “I thought, wow, that’s cool. ‘80s famous.’ Right, we were different.”

Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd in Back to the Future (1985). (Universal Pictures, Amblin Entertainment)

“We were tougher. We didn’t have social media; we didn’t have any of that crap. We were just famous. Left to our own resources. And it was an amazing time,” he added.

Fox said that becoming famous in the 1980s required considerable talent and dedication to the craft.

“Well, you had to be talented — that helped,” he said.

“We used to bust our ass, our acting muscles, and watch other actors and sit around with other actors and talk about acting — and talk about it,” Fox continued. “And now you’ve got people who just go like, ‘who’s your sweater? What’s your sweater you’re wearing? And what’s that dance step? And you’re the most famous person in the world.’”

Michael J. Fox on Spin City (1997). (ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)

In the same interview, Fox talked about the miracle of outliving his Parkinson’s diagnosis.

“What I believed then and what I believe now, I might not put it in the same words, but you can do anything. Anything,” the 62-year-old Fox told People. “You don’t have to follow other people’s prognostications for what life is going to be. Life’s going to be what you make it.”

Paul Roland Bois directed the award-winning Christian tech thriller, EXEMPLUM, which can be viewed for FREE on YouTube or Tubi. “Better than Killers of the Flower Moon,” wrote Mark Judge. “You haven’t seen a story like this before,” wrote Christian Toto. A high-quality, ad-free rental can also be streamed on Google Play, Vimeo on Demand, or YouTube Movies. Follow on X @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.