Michael J. Fox says actors in the '80s were 'tougher': 'You had to be talented'

Michael J. Fox isn't impressed by these new "stars."

The "Back to the Future" actor reflected on his own stardom, including getting his start on the 1980s sitcom "Family Ties," and what he sees as the difference between fame then and now with People in an interview published Thursday.

"There's an expression I referred to when they gave me an honorary Academy Award — somebody said to me the day before, they were talking about getting this award and being famous, and they said, 'You're '80s famous,'" Fox, 62, told the outlet. "I thought, 'Wow, that's cool.' '80s famous. Right, we were different. We were tougher.

"We didn't have social media, we didn't have any of that crap. We were just famous," he added. "Left to our own resources. And it was an amazing time."

Responding to whether being a star in the 1980s was "harder," the "Spin City" actor said: "Well, you had to be talented. That helped."

Fox suggested actors of his time used to work harder to perfect their craft.

“We used to bust our (expletive), our acting muscles and watch other actors ..." Fox continued. "And now you’ve got people who just go like, 'Who's your sweater? What's (the) sweater you're wearing? And what's that dance step?' And you're the most famous person in the world."

Fox stepped away from acting in 2020 due to memory loss, a symptom of his Parkinson's disease. His last acting appearance was on the Paramount+ series "The Good Fight."

But earlier this month, he told Entertainment Tonight that filming his recent documentary "Still" was a "big thrill" and that he would consider a return to acting if "something came up that I could put my realities into it, my challenges, if I could figure it out."

The film was awarded best documentary at the National Board of Review gala earlier this year, earning the actor a standing ovation.