Back To The Future: Tom Wilson Reveals Why Original Marty McFly Actor Was Fired

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Tom Wilson, who starred in Back to the Future, recently shared surprising details about why the original actor who played Marty McFly was ultimately replaced. The beloved Back to the Future movies began in 1985 and featured a cast including Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, and Wilson.

Eric Stoltz was initially chosen to play Marty McFly, but he was later replaced by Michael J. Fox. Christopher Lloyd, who played Doc Brown, has now revealed the reasons behind the decision to let Stoltz go.

In an interview on the Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum podcast, actor Christopher Lloyd, who played Biff Tannen, revealed that Michael J. Fox’s predecessor, Eric Stoltz, took a very intense approach to method acting while filming Back to the Future. Wilson said Stoltz was deliberately unkind to him because he wanted everyone to refer to him as Marty, the character he was playing.

Wilson thought Stoltz’s behavior was strange. Given that Stoltz and Thompson had worked together before and seemed friendly, it was unexpected that he wasn’t acting awkward around her, as Wilson believed he should have been.

Wilson explained that everyone seemed friendly with each other, but he was being treated poorly, so at the time he believed their kindness was only extended to certain people.

During the filming of Back to the Future, it often didn’t seem like Michael J. Fox and Eric Stoltz were acting together. Stoltz played Marty McFly with a much more serious tone, which created a disconnect on screen.

We were both young actors a long time ago, and I have a lot of respect for Eric and everything he’s accomplished. But back then, we were both just starting out, and Eric was really committed to getting into character as Marty McFly. He took his method acting very seriously, to the point where he was deliberately rude to me. He insisted that everyone – the hair and makeup artists, the director, everyone – call him ‘Marty’ as part of fully becoming the character. It struck me as strange because he’d worked with Lea Thompson before, and their characters were supposed to be awkward with each other, but they seemed very friendly on set. He was only treating me badly, and it felt like a very selective approach to method acting at the time.

Looking back, I realize I didn’t fully understand his perspective because I’m also a performer on stage, and we both need what we need to make the scene work. I wasn’t there to cater to him or make him feel comfortable; we were collaborators. I wasn’t asking for special treatment, just for him to learn his lines and be prepared. Unfortunately, there was a lot of unnecessary conflict and negativity when I was younger, which ultimately led to him being replaced.

Wilson said he was surprised by Stoltz’s firing, acknowledging it’s significant to lose a lead actor, but he wasn’t happy about it.

He genuinely believed he was about to lose his job. The producers contacted him at home and requested he come to the Universal Studios lot, but without saying why. “It felt like the longest drive of my life,” Wilson shared.

I was really surprised by what they did – it was a bold move for a film at the time. It created a lot of tension on set, especially when I talked to the director, Bob Zemeckis, and the cinematographer, Dean Cundey. The situation felt strange, and then production was halted, leading me to believe the movie was canceled.

I got a call from the producers asking me to come in for a meeting, and I immediately assumed the worst. I thought I was going to be fired because I hadn’t been understanding my scenes with this actor. I had a lot of stage experience, but during our scenes, I often felt lost and confused. We didn’t even share much screen time, but I figured the actor was right – he had more film experience, so I must have been the problem.

I’ll never forget getting that call from Bob Gale. He just wanted to talk, and I was desperate to hear what he had to say. He asked if I could come down to Universal, to their office, and that drive felt like the longest of my life. All I kept thinking was that I needed to be gracious, be a professional, thank them for considering me, and then figure out my next move, because it was clear this wasn’t going to work out.

Luckily, Wilson wasn’t the one being fired. When director Robert Zemeckis and producer Bob Gale told him that Michael J. Fox would be replacing Eric Stoltz, Wilson said he felt like a cartoon character who literally melted and fell off his chair.

They called me into a meeting with Bob Zemeckis and Bob Gale, and they told me they had to replace Eric. I wasn’t thrilled, of course, but I tried to react calmly, like something out of a cartoon – almost falling off my chair. My first question was just to make sure Eric was alright.

The actor learned that Fox would be taking over the role, meaning they’d have to refilm all the existing footage, a process that took about six weeks.

We’re completely re-shooting the project with Michael J. Fox, the actor from that popular TV show. I was familiar with his work, but hadn’t met him before. We originally filmed for six weeks, and now we’ll be doing all of that again with him.

As soon as Fox started filming, it was clear he was perfectly cast. Wilson explained that working with him felt natural and collaborative, saying, “It didn’t feel like separate performances, but a true scene shared between us.”

It was such a relief – it felt like we were truly collaborating, not just performing separate parts.

Even though Stoltz acted inappropriately on set and left the project under difficult circumstances, Wilson maintains a great deal of respect for him personally and values his accomplishments throughout his career.

Following his brief time in Back to the Future, Michael J. Stoltz appeared in a variety of films, including Say Anything…, Little Women, Anaconda, and The Butterfly Effect. He also directed episodes of popular television series such as Law & Order, Grey’s Anatomy, Glee, How to Get Away with Murder, and Madam Secretary.

The iconic film Back to the Future became a huge hit, earning $398 million in theaters and receiving nominations for several prestigious awards, including the Oscars and Golden Globes. It was so popular that two sequels followed in 1989 and 1990, and an animated TV series ran from 1991 to 1992.

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2026-01-21 00:42