During an appearance on the talk show The View, Michael J. Fox surprised Whoopi Goldberg by revealing that he had turned down the opportunity to act alongside her in the movie Ghost. The 61-year-old American actor, known for his battle with Parkinson’s disease, joined Whoopi, 67, to discuss his new documentary on the subject.
During their conversation, Whoopi asked Michael if there were any regrets about his successful career. His response left her stunned. Directly addressing Whoopi, he confessed, “There was a chance to work with you that I missed. They talked to me about Ghost early on, and I said, ‘It’ll never work.'”
Ghost, released in 1990, is a romantic film starring Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore. It tells the story of a man’s ghost attempting to save his girlfriend’s life with the help of a medium, played by Whoopi Goldberg. The film achieved tremendous success, grossing over $217 million worldwide (equivalent to $503 million in 2023) and winning two Academy Awards.
Michael expressed regret for turning down the role, stating, “[I thought] ‘Whoopi’s great, but it’ll never work.’ And then it was huge, and I’m a f***ing idiot!”
While fans of the movie have speculated that Michael was considered for the role of Sam, played by Patrick Swayze, he did not confirm the specific part he turned down.
In response to Michael’s revelation, Whoopi jokingly said, “Oh no! But you know what? There’s still time. We’ll find something to do now.”
During the interview, Michael also discussed his decision to keep his Parkinson’s diagnosis a secret from the public for seven years. He explained that he was unsure how people would react and was struggling to come to terms with it himself.
Furthermore, Michael shared the challenges of managing Parkinson’s, particularly the impact on his left side, which was his dominant side. He revealed that he had to rely on his left hand for many tasks since 1991.
In a recent interview, Michael also discussed the injuries he had suffered due to Parkinson’s, including nearly losing a finger and damaging the bones in his face.
