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Ryan Reynolds has Michael J. Fox’s back, and the “Back to the Future” star had Reynolds’ father’s back.
The “Deadpool” star wrote a short tribute to the 62-year-old for Time’s “Most Influential People” list, describing Fox as “funny,” “warm” and “intensely smart.”
“I know Michael J. Fox. Like, I know him pretty damn well,” the 47-year-old began. “He’s funny. He’s warm. He’s handsome and intensely smart. He also falls a lot. Not just because he has Parkinson’s. He falls a lot because he’s unafraid to fly.”
The “Family Ties” star was diagnosed with Parkinson’s when he was 29 years old and has become a leading advocate for raising awareness about the disease since.
Ryan Reynolds and Michael J Fox have known each other 17 years. (Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)
Reynolds, who has served on Fox’s foundation board since 2009, wrote that he first met the “Spin City” actor 17 years ago.
“I’ve watched him raise the bar for purpose and passion,” Reynolds said. “It’d be kinda lazy to simply characterize him as the greatest champion of Parkinson’s research on the planet. He’s someone who helped my dad, along with millions of others, feel less alone. It’d be kinda lazy to simply regard him as a movie star who shaped the lives of people all over the planet with a uniquely electric wit and self-aware charm. He’s the sum of these beautiful parts.”
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Reynolds’ father James was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 1995 and died in 2015.
In 2014, Reynolds told “The Today Show” his father rarely talked about his disease.
Reynolds with Fox and Fox’s wife Tracy Pollan. ( Laura Cavanaugh/FilmMagic)
“He comes from a pretty prideful generation,” Reynolds said at the time. “And he doesn’t really talk about it too much. But he’s maybe said it once or twice out loud.”
Reynolds wrote in his tribute this week that after he watched “Back to the Future” with his 8-year-old daughter, it became her “favorite film.”
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Ryan Reynolds with his parents in 2005. (E. Neitzel/WireImage)
“And for now, that’s enough for me — and her,” Reynolds said. “One more kid from one more generation sees what I saw. I know how lucky I am to call Mike a friend. She still has no idea that I know him. I don’t need to teach my daughter the level of compassion Mike has mastered. Or teach her to tell stories the way Mike tells stories. I need to teach her that it’s OK to fall a lot. It’s the absolute best way to know you’re flying.”
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Reynolds’ and Blake Lively’s oldest daughter is named James after Reynolds’ father.
