Back to the Future: Michael J. Fox replaced him at the last minute, and the young actor never recovered

We told you about it a while ago: Eric Stoltz was the first choice to play Marty McFly in Robert Zemeckis’ Back to the Future saga, before Michael J. Fox replaced him. And while it’s common for a lead actor to change roles, it’s still rare after almost two months of filming!

Yes, for the first six weeks of the beloved film, it was good Eric Stoltz who played with Christopher Lloyd. However, although he had already filmed a significant portion of his scenes, Robert Zemeckis Serious doubts began. For him and the producers, Stoltz lacked the comic touch that the film’s hero was looking for. What followed was a tough decision to replace him Michael J. Foxwhich was then the hit series Sacred Family and which the team wanted to pick up, but due to scheduling issues, it didn’t happen.

in the book Casein Gaines, We Don’t Need Roads: The Back to the Future TrilogyHis colleague of several weeks, Leah Thompson, recalled:Eric had such intensity. He saw the drama in things. He wasn’t much of a comedian and they needed a comedian. He’s very funny in real life, but that’s not how he approached his work, and they really needed someone with that talent.” Christopher Lloyd also echoed this sentiment, praising Stolz as a performer but noting “That element of comedy was not brought to the screen.“

decades later, Robert Zemeckis He also spoke on this topic and said:Eric is a brilliant actor. I just made the wrong choice and learned a very serious lesson. You have to choose the right casting for the film.When asked about the actor’s decision to no longer work on the production, Zemeckis also revealed:It was terrible. It was the worst experience of my career. It was just horrible, you know, I never want to do it again.“

There is no choice: we must go on

Of course, it was not an easy decision to make for someone who had already invested a lot of time, and himself, in the role of Marty – especially in light of the great success of the later feature film.

However, it continued its little journey, playing the same year it was released Back to the future In the biographical drama Mask, which tells the story of a young man born with a facial deformity, he stars alongside Cher and Sam Elliott. Her performance also earned her a Golden Globe nomination.

Later juggling between stage, television and film, he could be seen in many major projects in the 80s and 90s, even if he did not have leading roles. Thus, he starred in The Fly 2, Killing Zoe by Roger Evari and Pulp Fiction by Quentin Tarantino, which remains one of the most notable feature films of his career. Remember, he plays Lance, John Travolta’s drug dealer.

Over time, she continued to appear in major projects such as The Four Daughters of Doctor March, Jerry Maguire, Anaconda, The Butterfly Effect, and Harvey Milk, before finally landing roles on the small screen, where she also aspired to become a reality star.

In addition to her role in New York, she has filmed episodes of series such as Grey’s Anatomy, Glee, Madam Secretary and The Bull. But his name does not have the same reason as his name Michael J. Fox And I wonder how his career would have gone had he continued to play this beloved March.

However, today we cannot imagine another duet than the one that was formed Michael J. Fox and Christopher LloydA duo with perfect chemistry who hit it off immediately – despite Christopher Lloyd’s initial concerns about changing his partner…

You can still watch the Back to the Future trilogy streaming on Prime Video.