Michael J. Fox knows how important the number 88 is to Christopher Lloyd.
In conversation with PEOPLE at the A Country Thing Happened on the Way to Cure Parkinson's event in Nashville on April 15, the acclaimed Back to the Future star, 64, took a brief moment to reflect on the notion that his costar in the 1985 film and longtime friend, Christopher Lloyd, is turning 88 this year.
Through the lens of the movie, that number is the same as the speed needed by the DeLorean time machine to time-travel.
"Yeah. I put a picture on my Instagram," Fox said, referencing a photo he and Lloyd shared in a joint post of the pair out to eat, leaning in and smiling at one another.
That post was captioned, "Dining with my bestie at the beach. Next year BTTF is 41. Great Scott. Chris will be 8️⃣8️⃣. That's some serious s---," in reference to Lloyd's character, Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown.
Lloyd, quoting Fox's character, Marty McFly, as he just did his own, wrote in the comments, "Man, that's heavy."
"He and I went out for dinner a few days ago, and he said he'd be 88 ... when he turns 88. But he's great. He's one of the most youthful guys I know. So young," Fox told PEOPLE at the Nashville event.
A Country Thing Happened on the Way to Cure Parkinson's 2026 marked a major milestone for the Michael J. Fox Foundation, which celebrated having raised more than $3.5 million over the past three years by hosting events in Music City. For this year's iteration, Fox was joined by Willie Geist, Little Big Town, Eric Church and more for an evening of music and celebration as his foundation works toward a cure.
Beyond his noteworthy contributions to Parkinson's research, Fox is still keeping busy as an actor and a family man. His most recent appearance on the hit series Shrinking has drawn critical acclaim and, for the star, an even closer bond with collaborator Harrison Ford.
Asked about a potential return to the series, Fox told PEOPLE, "Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. I love Bill [Lawrence] and I'm so happy it's a success. And it's such a great time being with those actors."
On top of that, Fox released a memoir, Future Boy, at the end of 2025, in which he recounts what it was like filming Back to the Future and his fan-favorite sitcom Family Ties at the same time.