The classic Back to the Future from 1985 turned 40 years old last Monday (7). But did you know that the role of Marty McFly wasn’t originally meant to be played by Michael J. Fox?
The role was initially for Eric Stoltz, the star of films like Fast Times at Ridgemont High, The Wild Life, and The New Kids. He had already filmed some of his scenes for the movie but was suddenly fired.
“The director fired me. He didn’t like my work. It was devastating for me,” said Stoltz, now 63 years old, in a 1993 interview with Bob Costas.
From the start, director Robert Zemeckis and producer Steven Spielberg really wanted Fox to play the role. The actor, who was then 23 years old, was at the peak of his career playing Alex P. Keaton on the NBC sitcom Family Ties, which started in 1982.
However, when Gary David Goldberg, the creator and showrunner of Family Ties, was approached by Spielberg and Zemeckis to ask Fox to do the film, the TV mogul was firm in his decision.
“He said: ‘I can’t let him do [the movie].’ And he said, you know: ‘Please, don’t tell Michael — not that I want him to think I did something behind his back, but I really had no choice,’” Fox recalled in a 2001 interview with Archive of American Television.
With their hands tied, Spielberg and Zemeckis had to go with Stoltz. However, the actor, also 23 at the time, was struggling to bring Marty’s funny personality to life during the first weeks of production.
“Eric had an incredible intensity. He saw drama in everything. He wasn’t exactly a comedian, and they needed a comedian,” said actress Lea Thompson in the book We Don’t Need Roads: The Making of the Back to the Future Trilogy.
Worried about the future of Back to the Future, Zemeckis and Spielberg went back to Goldberg, who finally agreed to let his star do the project. In January 1985, Stoltz was fired. “I was a young actor. It was probably the worst thing that could happen to your career,” Stoltz recalled in his conversation with Costas.
Later, in an interview with George Stephanopoulos, Zemeckis admitted that he also felt horrible about what had happened and emphasized that Stoltz is a “brilliant actor.” “I just chose him poorly and learned a very serious lesson. It’s not worth it. It’s too painful for everyone. What you need to do is choose the right cast for the movie and really feel good about it.”
Fox then joined Doc Brown, played by Christopher Lloyd, to continue filming, all while still filming Family Ties. At the time, according to Fox, he was working more than 18 hours a day on his double job.
Fortunately, his hard work paid off. Back to the Future became a global phenomenon, grossing $385 million worldwide, a success that led to two more films and even inspired a Broadway musical.
Photo and video: Paramount Pictures. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
