Photo Courtesy of All the Classics
Written by Ari Turobiner
When people ask me, “Ari, do you have anyone that has inspired you?” I respond within seconds with, “Michael J. Fox”. To say Michael J. Fox has had an impact on me would be a huge understatement. I started off as just an average fan of the charming, quick-witted, inspiring, thoughtful, compassionate and outgoing man many know as APK or Marty. Overtime, after watching many of his movies and shows I became more involved with the fanbase and surrounding culture tied to Fox. I went from being just a fan to meeting my idol face-to-face. Anyone who really knows me also knows how tied to Michael J. Fox I am, and maybe you love him as much as I do. You may have seen him as the infamous Marty Mcfly in the 1985 classic sci-fi film Back to the Future, or you may know him as a confident, intelligent and sweet brother Alex P. Keaton in the hit show Family Ties, which aired on NBC for 7 seasons from 1982-1989.
I’ll never forget the first time I watched Back to the Future in elementary school. As a soon-to-be middle schooler. I thought Marty Mcfly was the coolest person ever! Skateboarding, playing guitar, wearing a jean jacket and of course hanging out with his girlfriend. I adopted similar traits to his characters, even getting a replica “OHIO” shirt and the Marty Mcfly Nikes, and while I was in middle school my 1980’s obsession was just beginning. Fox had a big impact in the 80s, after dropping out of high school and moving from Edmonton, Canada to Los Angeles as a teenager to try to make it as an actor because he simply believed he could. This determination really resonated with me. I admired his drive and motivation and began to incorporate these qualities into my daily life, especially in school. Watching Alex P. Keaton made me want to become an overachiever and was a good inspiration to always work hard and try my absolute hardest.
Michael J. Fox fueled my 80’s obsession, which eventually ended up growing and expanding into many other films, TV shows, music and more. I kept asking my parents questions about what Fox was like back when they were growing up. They would reply with, “You couldn’t get any cooler than Michael J. Fox in the 80s, you wanted to be just like him!” They told me how they grew up watching Back to the Future and Family Ties, by now two of my favorites. Fox was a mega-star and a teenage heartthrob back in the day, and hearing those words guided me nearly everyday in middle school as I rewatched Back to the Future over and over again, and even finished Family Ties for the first time in 6th grade. I visited many of the filming locations of the original Back to the Future around Los Angeles, dressed up as Marty. My grandparents and parents got involved and helped make me feel immersed in a generation I longed to be a part of, buying me collectibles and taking me to these locations. All of these moments made me appreciate and love the work he had done in the 1980s, yet I still longed for more information about that generation. I kept a hard drive that I called “The Grail Diary, as a reference to Indiana Jones but also to a great book I was reading at the time, Ready Player One. This book inspired me to get cassettes and a Walkman to almost feel as if I was living in my own movie straight out of 1985! That same hard drive had consisted of movies, interviews, articles and photos of 80’s movies, including Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, The Princess Bride, Top Gun, WarGames and more importantly, many films starring my idol, Michael J. Fox. I became passionate about playing guitar, playing saxophone and acting. I had previously acted in elementary school plays but Michael was the person who made me realize I want to be an actor. My love for the arts continued and to date I participated in theater in high school, have been in short films annd plays, and continue my love of acting with Michael always being in my mind as a guiding inspiration.
I eventually learned that Michael J. Fox had been diagnosed in 1991 with Parkinson’s Disease, a neurological brain disorder that causes constant shaking in all parts of the body, particularly the legs and the hands, as well as other symptoms. It was in this moment that I realized the opportunity to both feel more connected to Fox and to make a difference were right in front of me. I researched in depth all about Parkinson’s Disease and its effects, how Michael’s life was affected, and ways to help cure it. I was determined to make a change. I immediately became a member of Team Fox and started doing fundraisers for The Michael J. Fox Foundation For Parkinson's Research. I read both of Fox’s books as well as the news regarding Parkinson’s, talked about my passion for Fox and raising money for a cure with family and friends, and for my Bar-Mitzvah project I dedicated months to raising over $10,000. As you can tell, Michael J. Fox inspires me everyday to be the best person I can be. Fox inspires me to have enthusiasm, dedication, motivation, love of life, family, and the belief that optimism will prevail.
After many hours of work, dedication, and a fantastic Back to the Future themed Bar-Mitzvah, I got a message in the mail from none other than Team Fox. My 13-year old mind initially thought this was another newsletter sent out until I saw the bold writing, “TEAM FOX MVP” and I instantly knew this was different. The letter addressed to me had invited me to the Team Fox MVP Dinner Gala in New York City, and I truly couldn’t contain my excitement. All of my hard work selling bracelets, doing events and researching everything I wanted to know about Michael and his team had finally paid off. I was going to have the opportunity to see him in person and hopefully meet him, something I had envisioned many times in my head. What do you say to your hero? What do you say to someone who has inspired you so much? What do you say to an icon? These were just some of the thoughts I had leading up to the big event!
Fast forward to April of 2016, my dad and I flew from Los Angeles to New York, having packed our suits for our prestigious dinner and our orange ties to represent Team Fox! To get in the spirit of the 80’s, my Dad and I went to the Nintendo store, saw a Star Wars exhibit and saw the hotel building from Ghostbusters. We both quite literally walked down memory lane., though the hours and days leading up to the dinner felt like years. I couldn’t wait, but I passed the time by watching Michael J. Fox related videos on YouTube and rewatched episodes of Family Ties. I put on my suit to the song, Walking on Sunshine by Katrina and the Waves and I imagined I was Michael’s character in the 1987 film, The Secret of My Success. My dad and I finally walked into the elegant Gotham Hall, passing the marble pillars that were our gateway into what was my heaven. The interior was gold-lined and had chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, everyone was dressed in suits for this incredible event, and at that moment, I knew it was clear more than ever that this was the opportunity of a lifetime.
Through my grandma Dahlia’s work with the Milken Family Foundation, we were connected to a very sweet woman named Veronique who works with Michael at the foundation. She informed me that Michael wasn’t feeling great and wasn’t going to be doing meet-and-greets, but before I could process my disappointment she came to grab us and told he wanted to meet me! In the golden-dimmed lights with music playing and people talking all around me, I heard “Come on! Come on Ari! Come on!” and Veronoique took me to a private room for a meeting with Michael J. Fox. I was about to meet him in person, he wasn’t someone on a screen, he wasn’t a fictional character, he was my hero. I was in shock and to this day it still feels unreal. I was crying out of happiness, each step one moment away from my dream, and suddenly there he was, Michael J. Fox-exactly the way I imagined him. My escorts and Veronique introduced me to him and I was stunned and speechless. Through my tears I said, “Michael, it’s truly an honor to meet you. I love everything you do. I want to be just like you.” Michael replied happily, “Ari, it’s an honor to meet YOU. Thank you so much for everything”. He even added jokingly “You’re almost already exactly like me, except you're a few inches taller!” We shook hands and hugged, cameras flashing around Michael, my dad and I. I couldn’t believe this was reality, it was the secret of my success. In BTTF, Marty Mcfly says, “If you put your mind to it; you can accomplish anything” which is a quote I also live by. I realized then that my hard work paid off and my dream had come true. I spent the rest of the evening enjoying everything about that night, one that I know I will never forget.
Years have passed since that incredible night and I still have a deep love for the 80’s and 90’s. During my senior year of high school and in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic I made a shot-for-shot remake of Back to the Future, titled BTTF Project 85 in support of Parkinson’s Disease. My friend and co-director, Poppy Kampalis, helped us both achieve our dreams of acting in our favorite movie, despite her living in England. We still reminisce about the times we made our dreams come true by being in our favorite movie. I worked tirelessly with creative people around the world, people involved in the Back to the Future community and had the opportunity to work with Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Jefferey Weissman, James Tolkan and Harry Waters Jr, all of whom were actors in the Back to the Future Trilogy. Michael's words, passion and attitude have really resonated with me, including these famous quotes of his which are words I live by: “Optimism is a cure for many things” and “Acceptance doesn’t mean resignation; It means understanding that something is what it is and there’s got to be a way through it.”. I live everyday trying to help others the way Michael does with both his research and just the selfless way he lives his life, despite his challenges. I try to be as charismatic as Marty Mcfly and I try to be as confident as Alex P. Keaton. Michael J. Fox has been with me throughout my childhood and is continuing with me into adulthood. I strive to be as genuine, kind, sweet and dedicated as Michael in all aspects of my life. I rewatched Family Ties episodes throughout high school and to this day as a college student they help to remind me of experiences I have had and lessons I can learn from the Keaton family. Michael J. Fox went from being the kid who only dreamed he could to the kid who truly made it to the top. I know I can be the kid who made it to the top too. He inspires me to believe in myself, to know I will graduate college, get a successful job, start a family, and make a difference in the world. This is both the story of the secrets of my success and the importance of my family ties, all that I have learned from Michael J. Fox who is and will always be my hero.
Photo Courtesy of Ari Turobiner, 2016.
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