As a seasoned gamer with decades of experience under my belt, I can confidently say that the casting of Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly in Back to the Future was not just a brilliant move, but it was as crucial as the flux capacitor in Doc Brown’s DeLorean. Eric Stoltz was undeniably talented, and he did justice to Rocky Dennis in The Mask, but he was like a square peg trying to fit into a round hole for the role of Marty McFly.
The “Back to the Future” series (currently streaming on Peacock) revolves around minor alterations in history causing significant changes in the present. Interestingly, the initial 1985 film that sparked the legendary trilogy underwent significant modifications before director Robert Zemeckis stepped in and made a key adjustment.
Initially, during the shooting of “Back to the Future,” it wasn’t Michael J. Fox who portrayed Marty McFly, but rather Eric Stoltz. Imagine if director Robert Zemeckis hadn’t replaced his leading actor after over a month of filming; we might be living in a very different present today!
Initially, Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale had planned to cast Eric Stoltz as Marty in ‘Back to the Future’. However, Universal Pictures’ head at the time, Sid Sheinberg, suggested they go with Stoltz due to his impressive performance in ‘Mask’. During production in late 1984, it seemed like a reasonable choice since Stoltz was a skilled actor. The issue was that his acting style didn’t align well with the lighthearted, comedic tone Zemeckis and Gale aimed for in the film.
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Numerous issues concerning Stoltz are outlined in the book titled “We Don’t Need Roads: The Making of the Back to the Future Trilogy,” by Caseen Gaines. Stoltz held the belief that he was a genuine actor, and his approach to method acting didn’t align with the overall tone of Back to the Future.
As a devoted admirer, let me share my perspective: Eric exuded an extraordinary intensity. He had a knack for finding drama in the most ordinary of things. However, he wasn’t your typical comedian – a role we desperately needed on set. Yet, off-camera, Eric was a riot, brimming with humor. The challenge lay in his approach to work; he didn’t adopt a humorous stance as a comedian should, and we sorely missed someone who could deliver the laughs effectively.
Christopher Lloyd, known for his role as Doc Brown, echoed Thompson’s sentiments. “I sympathized with Eric,” Lloyd said. “He was an excellent performer. He was delivering the character superbly, but he wasn’t injecting that comedic spark onto the screen.
During the filming process, there were additional matters at hand. Just like in the making of Mask, Stotlz preferred to be addressed by his character’s name, never “Eric.” Moreover, he demonstrated a certain intensity beyond what was required, as depicted in the account of We Don’t Need Roads. There was an instance where he refused to tone down during a scene involving a physical altercation between Marty and Biff. Despite Thomas F. Wilson, the actor playing Biff, asking Stotlz to be more gentle, it is said that Stotlz pushed with all his might in take after take, causing Wilson’s collarbones to become bruised.
Approximately over a month into production, Zemeckis and Gale found their main actor wasn’t fitting the role as well as they had hoped. They discussed this with Sheinberg who agreed and allowed them to substitute Stoltz with Fox, re-shooting the essential scenes. However, as mentioned in We Don’t Need Roads, making this change didn’t happen immediately, resulting in some uncomfortable days on set where Stoltz was unaware that he was soon going to be replaced.
In the book, the director of photography, Dean Cundey, reminisces about clear indications during the last week or so. “When we prepared a shot and only filmed Chris Lloyd’s perspective, yet skipped Marty’s reverse angle, I’d ask, ‘Shouldn’t we film the other side too?’ but Bob would respond, ‘No, no, no, let’s not focus on that for now,'” is one way to paraphrase this sentence.
When Robert Zemeckis told Eric Stoltz he was being replaced with Michael J. Fox on Back to the Future
On January 10, 1985, the agreement to swap Stotlz with Fox was finalized, and director Zemeckis personally delivered the unfortunate news to Stoltz – who was naturally distraught. However, when Zemeckis shared this news with the rest of the cast and crew, they saw it as positive news regarding Fox’s casting.
During a conversation with George Stroumboulopoulos on CBC several years after the event, Zemeckis described letting go of Stotlz as “the most challenging experience I’ve had in my professional career.
Eric is exceptionally talented as an actor, but I made a mistake in casting him, and I learned a hard lesson from it. It’s not beneficial; it’s just too uncomfortable for everyone involved. The key is to cast the film correctly and have complete confidence in your choices.
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2024-11-19 00:31