Michael J. Fox's Revelation on Refusing Opportunity to Act Alongside Whoopi in 'Ghost' Surprised Her

Whoopi Goldberg was taken aback when Michael J. Fox said he had declined an offer to star in Ghost with her. The actor of Back to the Future appeared on Thursday's (May 18) episode of The View to talk about his new documentary, 'Still,' which is about his experience with Parkinson's disease.

Fox (age 61) and Goldberg (year 67) spoke about their decades-long relationship throughout the interview, with Goldberg asking Fox whether there were any roles in his career that he "regretted" passing up. Fox responded, and the Sister Act actress seemed shocked, "There was a chance to work with you that I missed. They talked to me about Ghost early on. I said, ‘It’ll never work." He further added, "Whoopi’s great, but it’ll never work.’ And then it was great and huge, and I’m a f***ing idiot!" After Fox made the disclosure, Goldberg, who won an Oscar for her part in the 1990 romantic thriller, recoiled, her mouth open.

In the 1990 love story, Goldberg appeared with Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze. Fox was vague about whether he was being considered for Swayze's role or another. At the time of its release, Ghost ranked as the third highest-grossing picture of all time and the highest-grossing film of 1990. Fox, then 29 years old, received a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease in 1991. This degenerative neurological disorder causes gradual brain damage over time. He went into "second retirement" in 2020 after announcing that he had been diagnosed in 1998.

The Back to the Future actor, who is fighting an incurable ailment, discussed his mortality in an interview with CBS Mornings' Jane Pauley, as reported by The Independent. Pauley inquired of Fox, who established a foundation that seeks a treatment for the disease, "At some point, Parkinson’s going to make the call for you, isn’t it?"

"Yeah, it’s banging on the door. I mean, I’m not gonna lie, it’s getting harder. It’s getting tougher. Every day it gets tougher, but that’s the way it is. I mean, who do I see about that?" Fox responded. He further added, "You don’t die from Parkinson’s. You die with Parkinson’s. So I’ve been thinking about the mortality of it. I’m not gonna be 80. I’m not gonna be 80."

Fox said in April that he'd had a "terrible year" with the condition, citing setbacks like fracturing numerous bones in a fall as examples of the difficulties he'd encountered. However, he noted that research supported by the Michael J Fox Foundation had contributed to a significant finding concerning the condition. 

The presence of alpha-synuclein, a protein used to identify Parkinson's disease, was shown to be detectable in the spinal fluid of study participants. This allows for earlier diagnosis and treatment of the condition. He added, "It’s all changed. It can be known and treated early on. It’s huge. This is the thing. This is the big reward. This is the big trophy."

References:

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/michael-j-fox-the-view-whoopi-goldberg-b2341853.html

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/michael-fox-interview-parkinsons-disease-b2329452.html

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/michael-j-fox-on-parkinsons-and-maintaining-optimism/