“Wait a minute, Doc. Are you telling me you built a time machine…out of a DeLorean?”
I was a teenager when “Back to the Future” came out. It was a huge summer blockbuster, the perfect blend of comedy and science fiction. Everyone I knew must’ve seen the film at least three times.
One of the reasons “Back to the Future” worked so well is because Michael J. Fox was perfectly cast as the lead. Besides being funny, he’s a very likable actor. Audiences enjoyed spending two hours in a dark theater rooting for Fox as he navigates teenage love and the space-time continuum.
But here’s the thing: Michael J. Fox was not the first actor cast in the role of Marty McFly. For the first five weeks of shooting, Eric Stoltz played the part.
So what happened? Why was he replaced? Was his performance that bad?
The truth is, he was wrong for the part. Stoltz, a very talented actor in his own right, just didn’t have the right comic sensibility. With him as the lead, “Back to the Future” would be a totally different film.
It would be an educational experience for you as an actor to see the movie again and then watch the original footage with Stoltz. (It’s
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