Michael J. Fox Talks Busting Stereotypes With ‘Good Wife’ Role: ‘Handicapped People Can Be Jerks’
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Michael J. Fox was presented with the ATX Television Festival’s Award in Television eXcellence during a virtual ceremony on Wednesday.
As People reported, Fox was honoured by friend and “Rescue Me” co-star Denis Leary, and they spoke about his role in “The Good Wife”, which defied expectations by breaking new ground in the way people with disabilities are portrayed onscreen.
Fox was a recurring guest star on the CBS drama, which ran from 2010 to 2016, as handicapped lawyer Louis Canning.
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“My whole idea behind this guy, it was a real simple concept. I just thought that people see a wheelchair or see someone with a disability on television and the music gets soft and hazy and then the guy is struggling with some mundane task, trying to conquer this thing — like me trying to put a ball on a tee on a golf course — and then they finally do it and the music rises to crescendo…” said Fox.
However, he had a far different take in mind for the character.
“Handicapped people can be a**holes too,” he explained. “Handicapped people can be jerks and manipulative, and so it was fun to play one.”
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