Michael J. Fox has played into our hearts as Marty McFly. Before him, another actor portrayed the character in the movie, and according to the actor of the villain, it was quite a problem.
Casting the right actor for a role is one of the most important things in the making of a film. Even at this point, much can go wrong. An actor can be unsuitable for a role for various reasons.
In the case of Marty McFly from Back to the Future, today everyone knows Michael J. Fox as the actor. He is still loved by fans for his performance. However, he was only the second choice: Before him, the actor Eric Stoltz got the role and played it for about a month.
Then it was over, and Stoltz was let go by production. An actor who was on set at that time and directly dealt with Stoltz recalls years later the difficult collaboration – and the possible reason for the firing.
An Actor is not just an Actor
Which actor is it about? Similar to Michael J. Fox, fans will never forget Tom Wilson. He played the antagonist Biff Tannen in Back to the Future and its sequels. As such, he bullies Marty time and again.
Of all people, he had difficulties on set with Eric Stoltz, as their ideas about how an actor should behave on set differed greatly. In the podcast Inside of You, Wilson recently shared:
We were young men working together on a project, and Eric pursued a very strict methodical approach for Marty McFly. That’s why he treated me very poorly because he wanted everyone to call him Marty. Everyone: the hairdresser, the director, everyone. He tried to embody Marty.
Tom Wilson
Eric Stoltz chose an approach known in acting as Method Acting. Meaning: He completely merges with his character and does not leave it even during breaks. Not all actors follow this way of playing, which can sometimes lead to conflicts.
Tom Wilson has clear ideas about what an actor needs to bring to set:
We both need what we need for the scene to work: I am not your servant in this scene, I will not behave in a certain way just to make you comfortable. […] I expect you to know the script and show up here ready to give it your all. There was a lot of drama, anxiety, and things that were, in my opinion, not productive.
Tom Wilson
Despite everything, Wilson appreciates his former colleague Eric Stoltz and emphasizes that he still has great respect for him as a person and his career. But the collaboration did not go as well as perhaps hoped.
What happened next on set? About a month after filming began, it was decided to replace Stoltz with Michael J. Fox, an actor who himself has certain roles he did not play. According to Screen Rant, this happened because the actor did not fit the character in the eyes of director Robert Zemeckis.
Eric Stoltz himself was not significantly harmed by the incident. He built a career as an actor, including films like Pulp Fiction, Jerry Maguire, The Butterfly Effect, and many other productions. What his performance as Marty McFly would have looked like can be seen in clips on YouTube.
Back to the Future probably became a cult film also thanks to the great performance of Michael J. Fox. What’s your opinion on this? Could you imagine another actor in the role? Feel free to write us your thoughts in the comments. Did you already know: There is a fourth part of Back to the Future, but only a few fans have been able to see it.
