I’d Wondered What Was Different About Back To The Future’s Original Marty McFly Actor, And Michael J Fox Has The Tea

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Most fans of Back to the Future are aware the movie could have turned out quite differently. Before Michael J. Fox became famous as Marty McFly, Eric Stoltz played the part – and filmed six weeks of scenes! This was an unusual and risky decision, and it became a famous story in Hollywood. Now, after forty years, we’re finally getting a good look at how Stoltz portrayed the character.

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the film and the release of Michael J. Fox’s new memoir, Future Boy, Fox and his co-author Nelle Fortenberry recently spoke with Entertainment Weekly about the stressful and rushed transition that almost caused problems for the movie. They also explained why the cast change happened, with Fox offering a kind but truthful explanation.

Eric approached it differently, adding a more dramatic, almost Shakespearean feel. I wasn’t comfortable with that kind of emotional depth, so I stuck to what I was good at and played to my strengths.

You know, after some initial tweaks, things really started to fall into place with ‘Back to the Future.’ The studio initially wanted a different vibe, but Spielberg, Zemeckis, and Gale quickly realized that the lighter, more comedic approach—the one we ultimately got—was exactly what the movie needed. And honestly, the audience totally agreed; it just worked so much better that way.

According to Fortenberry, the studio first attempted to handle the recasting secretly. They waited to announce the change until filming with the new actor had already begun. However, once industry publications found out, the resulting headlines were negative. One article even labeled the film “troubled,” which sparked rumors that Back to the Future was in serious jeopardy.

Despite their differences, Fox was careful not to portray Stoltz negatively, emphasizing that Stoltz dedicated himself to the role just as much as he did. In his book, Future Boy, Fox explores the common ground they shared.

You know, what happened with Back to the Future didn’t turn us into rivals or anything. It was actually pretty cool – we realized we had a lot more connecting us than just both playing Marty McFly.

As everyone knows, the rest is history. It feels impossible that anyone else could have played Marty McFly – even a great actor like Eric Stoltz. Michael J. Fox truly made the role iconic, which is amazing considering how close we came to never having him in the part.

Michael J. Fox didn’t have much time to prepare for his role. He hadn’t even met his co-star, Christopher Lloyd, when they filmed Doc Brown’s first big scene. The other actors, like Lea Thompson and Crispin Glover, had already filmed several scenes with the previous actor in the role, Eric Stoltz, so Fox was stepping into a movie that was already well underway. As Fox remembered:

He jumped out [of the van], and I thought, ‘Holy s—, it’s going to be great. He’s crazy,’

It truly was a fantastic movie. Back to the Future is considered not only one of the best films of the 1980s, but a classic of the science fiction genre. Just recently, it was re-released in theaters in stunning 4K resolution on October 31, 2025, giving both longtime fans and new viewers a chance to experience this timeless film.

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2025-11-04 20:08