Michael J. Fox is AARP's cover boy, and movie mom Lea Thompson feels old
He may be 60, but the actor is still as McFly as ever, fans say.
Michael J. Fox is 60, but to many fans, he's still the sassy, young Alex P. Keaton from Family Ties, or the time-traveling Marty McFly in the Back to the Future movie series. So it might be a shock to see him show up on the cover of AARP The Magazine, the bimonthly magazine for the nonprofit group for people over age 50.
But no one was as unnerved by Fox's cover appearance as actress Lea Thompson, also 60, who played Marty's mom in the Back to the Future Films.
"Ummm my son is on the cover of AARP," Thompson tweeted on Wednesday. "Makes me feel proud. And a bit old."
Ummm my son is on the cover of @AARP makes me feel proud. And a bit old. pic.twitter.com/Bi7Dt05ntj
— Lea Thompson (@LeaKThompson) December 1, 2021
It's not even Fox's first time as AARP's cover boy. He graced the cover back in March 2017 when he was 55. But it's tough for some to accept he's now 60.
"I thought you guys had access to the Time Machine for real because you both don't age!" one fan tweeted in reply to Thompson.
Wrote another, "And he's still as (Mc)Fly as ever. Would it be weird to hang AARP on my wall like it's Tiger Beat?"
I thought you guys had access to the Time Machine for real because you both don’t age!
— CALL TO ACTIVISM (@CalltoActivism) December 2, 2021
And he’s still as (Mc)Fly as ever. Would it be weird to hang AARP on my wall like it’s Tiger Beat? 🥰
— woodwhat (@woodwhat) December 2, 2021
he’s looking pretty good considering he’s got Parkinson’s and he isn’t 20 anymore. Always been a huge fan of MJF. You are so lucky to know him and to be his “mom” even if its just in the movies.
— Risa Golding (@risaeats1960) December 2, 2021
For 2 kids who went to high school in the 50’s y’all still look great!
— Dr. Boobie Maine (@robbyt86) December 2, 2021
Sucks, doesn't it? I remember really digging BttF. Now I just turned 65, and I still don't have a hover board. 🙄
— (((Stargazer))) (@TwiHusband) December 2, 2021
Not everyone understood the "son" joke, but as those who saw the Back to the Future films know, Fox's character travels back in time and meets his mother (Thompson) as a teenager, which is how the movie was able to cast same-age actors as mother and son.
"LOL! You are (too) young to have a 60-year-old!" tweeted one person. "You are both pure awesome, you were both a big part of my TV/movie experience growing up."
LOL! You are two young to have a 60 year old! LOL, You are both pure awesome, you were both a big part of my TV/Movie experience growing up.@realmikefox
— Bry7076 (@bry7076) December 1, 2021
In the AARP profile, Fox discusses his Parkinson's disease, which helped him decide to retire from acting last year.
"I'm really blunt with people about cures," he tells the magazine. "When they ask me if I will be relieved of Parkinson's in my lifetime, I say, 'I'm 60 years old, and science is hard. So, no.'"
But he also encourages those with the disease not to give up.
"You don't die of Parkinson's," Fox said. "You die with Parkinson's, because once you have it, you have it for life -- until we can remedy that, and we're working hard at it. So, to live with it, you need to exercise and be in shape and to eat well. If you can't drive, find a way to get around. Maintain friendships. Don't say, 'Oh, I don't have anything to say to Bob.' Bob might have something to say to you. Just make the call."
It can be uncomfortable to see a heartthrob actor turn up on the cover of AARP The Magazine, and this isn't the first time. When the late Luke Perry showed up on the cover in 2016, many of the fans who remembered him as bad boy Dylan McKay on Beverly Hills 90210 suddenly felt "90210ld."
