Michael J. Fox Reflects on Being Famous in the '80s

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Walking PEOPLE through his legacy and career, Fox explained the differences between fame in the '80s and in today's social media age

By Kelly Wynne and Breanne L. Heldman Published on April 11, 2024 11:49AM EDT

Things have changed in Hollywood, according to Michael J. Fox.

Speaking with PEOPLE for the magazine’s 50th anniversary, the Family Ties and Back to the Future actor reflected on the entertainment industry and what’s different now compared to his rise to fame in the ‘80s.

“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, 62, said. “I thought, wow, that’s cool. ‘80s famous. Right, we were different.”

He continues, “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.”

Fox’s career took off as early as 1980 when he appeared in series like Palmerstown U.S.A., Night Court and Family Ties. In the same era, he stepped into the DeLorean of Marty McFly for the Back to the Future franchise, a series of films that became American ‘80s classics.

When asked if being famous in the ‘80s was “harder” than it is now, Fox replies, “Well, you had to be talented. That helped.”

“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,” he adds. “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.”

In our PEOPLE exclusive video, Fox walks through his past PEOPLE Magazine covers, and explains what was happening behind the scenes during those snapshots of his life. Fox’s notable moments include the end of Family Ties, when he was featured on the cover with his costars. He also checked in with PEOPLE twice about his Parkinson’s diagnosis — both to announce the diagnosis and to give an update on his life in 2022. The most recent cover read “It’s a struggle, but I’m happy.”

“The response was great. The response was lovely and supportive,” Fox said of first announcing his Parkinson's diagnosis on the cover in 1998.