16 ‘Family Ties’ Facts All Michael J. Fox Fans Should Know

4. He also saw himself in him

Michael has also said that he saw a lot himself in him and that the role taught him a lot about acting. “What I learned about acting, especially doing that show, is that I thought as acting, when I was younger, as something you put on a character. You’re trying to be somebody else, and really what it is, is trying to take stuff off. That’s the great fun of playing Alex: he is a kid who’s putting on all this stuff, and when it was really effective was when you see him naked. You see he’s just this scared kid.”

5. Michael J. Fox was inspired by his brother for the role

In addition to seeing a bit of himself in Alex, Michael has also said that he based some of his behavior off his real life brother. “My brother was so funny at the dinner table that you’d wait for what he had to say. He’d put his glass of milk down and from the minute he took the glass of milk from his mouth you’re waiting for what he had to say. So later, all that became a part of Alex.”

6. Alex was popular with both Democrats and Republicans

Michael J. Fox himself grew up in Canada so he didn’t have ties either way, but he said that both Democrats and Republicans loved the character of Alex. “As the character developed, Republicans really took Alex under their wing and made him a poster boy for the movement. At the same time, too, social liberals were writing me letters saying, ‘Way to go satirizing that point of view.’ So I was loved on both sides and that was uniquely about the character and uniquely about the show. It was one of the shows where it just caught a time. It just found its niche.”