It was 1985 and ″Back to the futureAfter suffering several setbacks along the way. The first was convincing movie studios that the time-travel story would work. Once that pitfall was overcome and shooting began, the next stone in the shoe was dealing with the hiring of Eric Stoltz, the film’s lead who wasn’t quite up to the job. This major problem led to the actor’s subsequent dismissal and hiring Michael J Fox as his replacement.
What was next? As the release date approached, Stoltz’s various scenes had to be redesigned while at the same time, the editors were juggling to finish the film before the July, scheduled release date.
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Once the tape was released, the results couldn’t be better than anyone could have imagined. “Back to the Future” became the most successful film of that year, collecting more than $ 380 million, launching its heroes to fame and becoming, five years later, one of the most successful and popular films of the trilogy in cinema.
The protagonist who never was
Only in 2010, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of Back to the Future, was it revealed that before Michael J. Fox, Eric Stoltz had shot almost all of Marty McFly’s scenes, the same scenes that were included in the bonus tracks of the Blu-Ray release of the tape .
Since then, rumors have grown about the reasons for replacing Stoltz. Much has been said about the actor’s lack of charisma and the displeasure of director Robert Zemeckis.
And that not only the director but also the writer Bob Gill as well as the entire production team realized that despite the fact that Stoltz was a good dramatic actor, he wasn’t contributing to the project that was the “magic” that the story needed.
Uncertainty and resentment ended up putting aside Stoltz — who that year was nominated for a Golden Globe for his role in “Mask” — and replacing him with Michael J. Fox, a young face everyone likes from the get-go but whose commitment to “Family Ties” is The sitcom he was recording at the time prevented him from doing so.
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Difficult actor
In We Don’t Need a Knock: Making a Back to the Future Trilogy, author Caseen Gaines reveals how difficult Eric Stoltz was as a filming partner backed up by data from the actors who were part of the project.
“Eric was a very different actor and he could be very difficult. At the time, all the young actors wanted to be like De Niro and Pacino. I think it wasn’t the right movie to act like that. Eric was such an intensity. He saw the drama in things. He wasn’t a comedian.” Really, and they needed a comedian.” Actress Leah Thompson, who played Marty McFly’s mother in the movie, said in an interview included in Gain’s book.
A little less than five years ago, Thomas F. Wilson, the actor who plays the villain Biff in the movie, spoke without eloquence about his bad relationship with Stoltz during the filming of the movie.
“I worked with Eric for about six weeks. We shot almost the entire movie and there were problems on set. Eric wasn’t easy, all the time with his style of acting, you know.”Everyone calls me Marty except for Leah (Thompson) who plays my mom and I try to kiss the camera”Wilson revealed.
At another point in the interview, the actor also revealed that he was thrilled when they told him Stoltz wouldn’t be a part of the project and recounted how he took advantage of the cafeteria scene to push him too hard.
“A few days before my class, we had a problem in the cafeteria scene because Eric pushed me so hard with his way of acting… It was hard against my collarbone, and he was really pushing me. And I said to him during the cut: Oh Marty, this is a movie but he pretended not to listen to me.” “.
In 2015, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of “Back to the Future”, the magazine “eagleIt published details of Eric Stoltz’s sacking, including a description of Christopher Lloyd’s reaction to the news.
Each member of the production team will inform the principal cast of the major change shortly before the big announcement for the rest of the production. Bob Gale spoke with Crispin Glover (George McFly) and Thomas F Wilson while Neil Canton (Producer) was in charge of speaking with Christopher Lloyd and Leah Thompson. Meanwhile, Stoltz’s clients were contacted by Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy. Robert Zemeckis broke the news to Stoltz himself while Spielberg, who was one of the film’s producers, was waiting in the wings.
Exactly what happened between the director and his outgoing helmsman during their conversation remained between the two, but Zemeckis later admitted that the actor took the news great. For Canton, a night he assumed was full of misfortune got off to a surprisingly cheerful start when he received a much-needed laugh. From his old friend Christopher Lloyd. “I knew Chris because we worked together on Buckaroo Banzai,” he quotes “Vulture.” It was funny. When I told Chris we were going to replace Eric in the movie, he looked at us and said, “Well, who is Eric?” I said. , “Marty,” and he said, “Oh, I really thought his name was Marty.
A few months later, when asked again about Stoltz’s firing, Lloyd said, “All the producers and Zemeckis are going to make an announcement. It was very sad, you know. Nobody had bad feelings for Eric, but something had to be done.” The actor who plays the lovable Doc in the movie: It wasn’t a celebration, we were all glad it went the direction it should go, but it was a little sad.”
Stoltz version
In an interview with moviehole portalEric Stoltz spoke about his time on Back to the Future and revealed that if he had continued recording, his career might have turned into a completely different scenario than he had planned.
He said, “You know, that was twenty years ago, and I rarely, if ever, look back, but looking back, I think just going through that difficult period helped me realize how liberating it really was,” he said.
“I went back to acting school, moved to Europe, did a few plays in New York and really invested… in a way that was more healthy for me. If I became a huge star, I don’t know if I’d gone to therapy. On the other hand, I could have He’d be so rich, that would be great! (added between laughs)
Stoltz, who is currently retired from acting and devoting himself entirely to directing, revealed that he “didn’t see himself as an actor anymore.” “Some people would say I’ve never been. I consider myself a director at this point. I love to perform. But honestly, I rarely remember something I’ve done in the past. I’m too busy and interested in what’s going on right now to care.”
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— In an interview with CBS, Michael J. Fox, 61, revealed what it’s been like to live with this terminal disease since he was diagnosed in 1991, when he was just 29 and one of the biggest stars in Hollywood.
Still: A Michael J Fox FilmIt’s a documentary on Apple TV+ Available from May 12, as the actor’s life is reviewed.
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