Ryan Reynolds Says Michael J. Fox Made His Late Dad 'Feel Less Alone'

Ryan Reynolds sings high praises for his friend Michael J. Fox in his essay for the Back to the Future actor's honor in TIME's 100 Most Influential People of 2024.   Reynolds focuses on the work the actor has done for those diagnosed with Parkinson's disease... Including his late father. The 47-year-old opens up about how Fox helped his late father James "feel less alone" during his battle with Parkinson's. "I met Mike 17 years ago," Reynolds wrote. "I've watched him raise the bar for purpose and passion. 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," Reynolds continued of Fox. "He's the sum of these beautiful parts. And so many more." Reynolds' father James died in 2015 after dealing with Parkinson's disease for almost two decades. The Deadpool star reveals that he and his wife Blake Lively named their eldest daughter James after Reynolds' father. He died at 74, just shortly after she was born. "Last year I watched Back to the Future with my 8-year-old daughter," he continued. "It's become her favorite film. And for now, that's enough for me -- and her. One more kid from one more generation sees what I saw." Reynolds added that James "still has no idea" he and the legend behind Marty McFly are friends. "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," he concluded. While Reynolds' words are sentimental and heartwarming, he does aid a few light hearted jokes in the essay. "He [Fox] also falls a lot. Not just because he has Parkinson's. He falls a lot because he’s unafraid to fly," Reynolds says of Fox who has been battling Parkinson's since 1991. Since 2009, Reynolds has served on the board of the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, an organization Fox founded in 2000 to help find a cure for Parkinson's.