The Real Reason Eric Stoltz Wasn't Marty McFly in ‘Back to the Future’ (2024)

Back to the Future

The Real Reason Eric Stoltz Wasn't Marty McFly in ‘Back to the Future’ (1)

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The Big Picture

  • On January 10, 1985, Eric Stoltz was fired from Back to the Future after a month of filming, making way for Michael J. Fox to take over as Marty McFly.
  • Stoltz's method acting and lack of comedic chops led to reservations from cast and crew, who felt he wasn't bringing the right energy to the role.
  • Michael J. Fox joined the production last minute, juggling a full workload between filming Back to the Future and his sitcom Family Ties.

Sometimes, the movie-making process hits a snag when the filmmakers realize the casting is not quite right. In the best cases, this happens before principal photography starts. But in some cases, filming has already gotten underway when a major casting change takes place. While the unpleasant task of having to fire or replace an actor can arise for a variety of reasons, from personal matters to injuries and creative differences to public scandals, one can presume that delivering such crushing news to a performer must be unenviable at best. One such incident took place on January 10, 1985, as cameras rolled on Back to the Future. It's really hard to imagine anyone else leading the way in Back to the Future other than Michael J. Fox, though initially, Eric Stoltz had been filming for over a month as Marty McFly. Little did he know that his time on set would soon be at an end.

The Real Reason Eric Stoltz Wasn't Marty McFly in ‘Back to the Future’ (2)

Back to the Future

PG

Adventure

Comedy

Family

Sci-Fi

Marty McFly, a 17-year-old high school student, is accidentally sent 30 years into the past in a time-traveling DeLorean invented by his close friend, the maverick scientist Doc Brown.

Release Date
July 3, 1985
Director
Robert Zemeckis
Cast
Claudia Wells , Christopher Lloyd , James Tolkan , Thomas F. Wilson , Michael J. Fox , Wendie Jo Sperber , Crispin Glover , Marc McClure , Lea Thompson

Runtime
116 minutes
Writers
Robert Zemeckis , Bob Gale

What Is 'Back to the Future' About?

Conceived by Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis in 1980, Back to the Future follows the time-traveling adventure of 17-year-old slacker, skater, and rock star wannabe Marty McFly (Fox). A high school student living in the fictional California town of Hill Valley, McFly discovers that his friend, the eccentric Emmett "Doc" Brown (Christopher Lloyd), has fashioned a DeLorean car into a time machine. When Marty suddenly finds himself behind the wheel and guns it to 88 mph, he accidentally travels from thirty years into the past, ending up in Hill Valley circa 1955.

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With the help of a decades-younger Doc, Marty devises a plan to return to 1985 while navigating the days of yesteryear. Meanwhile, Marty inadvertently alters history by interfering with the circumstances under which his teenage parents meet. Suddenly thrust into the role of matchmaker, Marty must befriend his nerdy father and avoid the uncomfortable advances of his doting mother to ensure they fall in love while also averting the destruction of the space-time continuum. Before the end credits roll, however, Doc arrives in the DeLorean and implores Marty to travel to the year 2015, laying the foundation for two sequels that would follow in 1989 and 1990, respectively.

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Originally slated to hit theaters in August 1985, Universal Pictures executive Sid Sheinberg, sensing the film was likely to perform well after successful preview screenings, moved Back to the Future's release date up to July 3. Upon its theatrical debut, the film was immediately embraced by audiences and went on to become the biggest box office hit of the year. By the end of its initial theatrical run, the $19 million comedy had raked in $388 million worldwide, catapulted Michael J. Fox to superstardom, and turned co-writer and director Robert Zemeckis into a household Hollywood name. With hindsight clear as day, it's easy to understand why Back to the Future played so well with audiences and continues to do so today, but the film's perfect blending of writing, acting, and filmmaking was nearly upended due to an error in casting.

How Did Eric Stoltz Get the Role of Marty McFly in 'Back to the Future'?

Once the script for Back to the Future began traveling through Hollywood circles, many young actors pursued its lead role. Up-and-coming talents like Jon Cryer, Ben Stiller, and C. Thomas Howell each threw their hat into the casting ring. But it was Michael J. Fox, at the time starring on the popular '80s sitcomFamily Ties, who caught the attention of the film's director and producers. Due to scheduling conflicts with his hit series, however, Fox lost out on the opportunity. It was at the urging of Sid Sheinberg, who'd taken a liking to Eric Stoltz after seeing his performance in Peter Bogdanovich's Mask, that the actor ultimately won the role of Marty McFly.

With principal photography kicking off on Back to the Future in November 1984, the film was on a tight budget and even tighter schedule considering its planned release for the following July. Having approached the role of Marty McFly with a method style of acting, Stoltz's colleagues quickly realized that something was amiss in his performance. Co-star Lea Thompson recalls in Caseen Gaines’ book, We Don’t Need Roads: The Making of the Back to the Future Trilogy, "Eric had such an intensity. He saw drama in things. He wasn’t really a comedian, and they needed a comedian. He’s super-funny in real life, but he didn’t approach his work like that, and they really needed somebody who had those chops." Fellow actor Christopher Lloyd echoed this sentiment, praising Stoltz as a performer but noting that "he was not bringing that element of comedy to the screen."

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Despite his talent, Eric Stoltz's overly dramatic take on the character and material simply wasn't translating to what director Robert Zemeckis and company had envisioned. His method approach continued raising eyebrows when he insisted on being referred to by his character's name, as he'd previously done while shooting Mask. In addition, Gaines' book includes interviews with cast and crew members who claim that Thomas F. Wilson took particular umbrage with the actor in a scene involving physical conflict between their characters. In playing out the confrontation between Marty and Biff in the school cafeteria, Stoltz allegedly went all out and did a number on Wilson's collarbone after multiple takes, leaving the latter hopeful for an opportunity to get even in a fight scene that would be shot later. But as fate would have it, Wilson never got his revenge, and that scene would be shot with another actor better suited to play Marty.

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Michael J. Fox Replaces Eric Stoltz as Marty McFly in 'Back to the Future'

By early January 1985, with more than a month of photography completed, the difficult decision to replace Eric Stoltz was made. Though the announcement would be a surprise to some of the film's cast and crew, there were those who suspected something drastic was about to happen. Director of Photography Dean Cundey, also quoted in Gaines' book, remembers, "There were signs, especially the last week or so. When we would set up a shot and we would shoot Chris Lloyd’s angle, but we wouldn’t do the reverse on Marty, I’d say, ‘Don’t we need the angle?’ and Bob would say, ‘No, no, no, let’s not worry about that.’" Likewise, production designer Larry Paull recalls being instructed not to alter one of the films 1955-themed sets, and that more shooting with it would be necessary due to "some changes."

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On the night of January 10, a few days after Robert Zemeckis got final approval to replace his lead actor, Eric Stoltz filmed his final scene on Back to the Future. After breaking the devastating news to the actor in private, the director gathered his crew during a break in shooting around 10:30 p.m. Present for the bombshell news were co-writer Bob Gale and producers Neil Canton, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, and Steven Spielberg. Zemeckis announced, "It’s probably going to be shocking — kind of good news, bad news. We’re going to have to re-shoot most of the movie because we’ve changed the cast and there’s going to be a new Marty: Michael J. Fox."

Decades later, Robert Zemeckis said of the decision, "Eric is a brilliant actor. I simply miscast him and I learned a very serious lesson. You have to cast the movie the right way." When asked about the experience of informing the actor he'd no longer be working on the production, Zemeckis further revealed, "It was horrible. That was the worst experience of my career. It was just horrible, you know, never want to do that again."

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'Back to the Future' Was an Intense Schedule for Michael J. Fox

Joining the production at the 11th hour, Michael J. Fox began work on the film just days after Eric Stoltz's departure. Though he initially had to pass on the role over scheduling conflicts with Family Ties, the 22-year-old star of the small screen was determined to juggle the intimidating workload between the two projects. Operating on little sleep for months, Fox would put in a full day on his sitcom at Paramount Studios, working from 10 in the morning until 6 at night. He would then rush to the Universal lot and shoot Back to the Future from roughly 6:30 to 2:30 a.m. His schedule on Fridays, however, proved to be the most challenging of all. Fox would rehearse for Family Ties from noon until 5, and then shoot two tapings with a live audience until 10. From there, he reported to Zemeckis' set and shot until 6 or 7 the following morning. Fortunately for the young actor, he didn't work on weekends and could recharge for the following Monday. At the time of filming, he said of the experience, "I knew this was going to be a grueling schedule. But I learned to enjoy it, and besides, if I can't handle it at this age, I might as well get out of the business!"

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Michael J. Fox Is the Only Person Who Could Play Marty McFly

It's no mystery as to why Michael J. Fox was Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis' first choice for the role of Marty McFly. Despite the grueling schedule the young actor had to endure, his enthusiasm and dedication to the role undoubtedly had a positive influence on his co-stars and the overall film. "A good actor makes everybody look better," Gale said. "Michael had this magical quality, his comedic ability, and he gave the actors more to work with." As a principal cast member on one of America's most popular sitcoms at the time, Fox's breezy energy and natural performative instincts proved to be exactly what was needed for to complement and enhance Back to the Future's sense of excitement and adventure.

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Given that the success or failure of a film is often determined by an endless variety of factors, from writing and acting to directing and marketing, Back to the Future is clearly an example of filmmaking as a process of creative alchemy in which every element comes together to create an unforgettable viewing experience. While Eric Stoltz is an undeniably talented actor, one may shudder to imagine how his self-serious approach to playing Marty McFly may have impacted the film's more playful and comedic sensibilities. Fortunately, Michael J. Fox sensed the significance of the opportunity he'd been given upon Stoltz's firing, reportedly saying to Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis, "Sleep? I'm only 22, what do I need sleep for?"

Back to the Future is available to watch on Netflix in the U.S.

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The Real Reason Eric Stoltz Wasn't Marty McFly in ‘Back to the Future’ (2024)

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