Shrinking season 3 spoilers: Is Michael J. Fox playing himself?

From the moment that Michael J. Fox was cast on Shrinking season 3, one of the bigger questions that came out was who he could be playing — and also whether or not he would just appear as himself.

After all, the actor in real life has long battled Parkinson’s Disease, and is arguably the most important and influential advocate for treatment and awareness worldwide. It would be easy to have him play himself and turn up to help Harrison Ford’s character of Paul, even if it was just a brief role.

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As it turns out, though, Fox’s part will be a tad different, and this is not just a brief cameo for the actor, who is playing his first scripted part in years. Speaking to TVLine, here is what executive producer Bill Lawrence had to say:

It’s not just a walk-by … He ended up being in two or three [episodes], and it’s significant. He has a real character, a real role in Harrison Ford’s character’s life, and it was really fun to do.

On a show that deals with Parkinson’s, and has a character that regularly sees a neurologist for treatment of his Parkinson’s, it was easy to have Mike play an actual character with the condition … He is playing someone who is 100% not him — both in how he reacts to it, and how he deals with it — but he can still play his character’s truth better than anyone else could.

Lawrence and Fox have a long history that dates back to Spin City, and it makes sense that it would be him who knew how to handle this part. He is also not the only big-name actor who you will be seeing this season, as Jeff Daniels will also be stopping by as Jimmy’s father.

Related – Be sure to get some more news on Shrinking now, including what else is ahead

What do you most want to see when it comes to Michael J. Fox’s role moving into Shrinking season 3?

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