December 29, 2024– Michael J. Fox served as the inspiration for ‘Shrinking’.

Bill Lawrence, the co-creator of the comedy-drama series, has revealed that the Hollywood star’s journey with Parkinson’s disease served as an inspiration for Harrison Ford’s on-screen character, who is also battling the neurodegenerative disease.

The 56-year-old producer – who previously worked with Michael on ‘Spin City’ – explained to PEOPLE: “It’s cool to get to write about things you care about now. And Michael J. Fox is my first mentor. So we wanted to represent it in hopefully an inspiring and not sad or tragic way.”

Bill has been amazed by Michael’s handling of the situation, and the third season of the show will focus on the challenges of “living with [Parkinson’s]”.

He shared: “I found the first mentor in my life and career, Michael J. Fox, to be so inspiring with the way he took it in stride and continues to work harder than anybody I know. And we want to kind of carry that spirit if we can into the show.”

Bill has never had any hesitations about learning from the people around him.

He said: “I suck in the inspiring people around me, and I steal from them as much as I possibly can.”

Meanwhile, Michael previously admitted that his meteoric rise “made no sense” to him.

The actor – who moved from Canada to the US at the age of 18 – initially struggled to find work in Hollywood, but he ultimately shot to international stardom as Marty McFly in the ‘Back to the Future’ franchise.

Michael – who was one of the most sought-after stars in the movie business before he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease – told ‘Entertainment Tonight’: “I was dumpster diving because I knew the grocery store would throw baked goods out. We’d steal jam and peanut butter from the IHOP or Denny’s. It was a tough existence.

“But in a relatively short period of time I was famous and I was the biggest movie star in the world … It was crazy. It made no sense.”