Various demigods In their time-traveling DeLorean, Michael J. Fox, and Christopher Lloyd arrived at New York Comic Con to reflect on their iconic performances in the Back to the Future movie trilogy.
The performers discussed how Fox was infamously chosen to take over for Eric Stoltz in the character of Marty McFly less than a month after principal production had begun. In particular, Lloyd recalled that the announcement by the film’s executive producer Steven Spielberg, director Robert Zemeckis, and other major players came after several exhausting nights shoots for the scene at the Twin Pines Mall where Doc Brown reveals that he has finally figured out how to travel through time.
The actor who played Marty would no longer be portraying Marty, and that tomorrow, we would start shooting with Michael, was announced at one in the morning after we had been filming for six weeks, Lloyd remembered to warm applause from the big audience. “I felt like I had just about survived the [first] six weeks and now I was going to have to do it again?”
Fox’s mother opposed him taking the position out of concern that he would be overworked from his devotion to Family Ties. But he ultimately made the decision to join the groundbreaking film because the chance was simply too fantastic to pass up.
His decision proved to be the right one, even though it led to a busy filming schedule split between the film and television industries. The central theme of the play is the bond between Marty and Doc, hence it was ideal that the casting was changed at the last minute. According to Lloyd, their onscreen chemistry “was there from the first moment we did, it was alive, and it continued that way for three movies.” By the way, it hasn’t disappeared.
Regarding his co-performance, star Fox commented, “All I had to do was simply react.” “Just let it wash over me while I soak it all in. I considered him to be brilliant. That was the whole point: just enjoy being with Chris and letting him be Chris. It was exciting. Every time I started working with him, I could always count on a pleasant day.”
A stage musical based on the original film is now being performed in London with the intention of making its Broadway debut the following year. Lloyd remarked, “I don’t see how they could have done it better.” Fox also lauded the program: “It was excellent.
They could have copied us, but they refrained from doing so. I felt the play was incredibly well written, the music was fantastic, and I’m going to see it when it comes to New York since the characters were fully developed on their own.” The musical’s author, Bob Gale, who co-wrote Back to the Future with Zemeckis, “laid his whole heart and soul into it,” according to Fox.
Fox reaffirmed his commitment to being present in person for the fans despite his long battle with Parkinson’s disease.
When asked if he would change his diagnosis, he replied, “You guys have given me my whole life.” He later admitted that assisting others has given his life a profoundly new meaning. “This was the nicest thing that has ever occurred to me. The gift of Parkinson’s. People have told me that it’s a gift and they have stated, “You’re nuts.” Yes, but it’s a present that keeps on giving, I counter. However, I wouldn’t trade it for anything because it’s a gift. What matters is what I’ve been given, not what I have.”
Fox and Lloyd were invited to leave the audience with some pearls of wisdom at the very conclusion of the panel. Lloyd’s quote, “Your future is what you make of it, so make it a good one,” at the conclusion of Back to the Future Part III was a wise choice. Fox chose the oxymoronic sentence, “You can’t fight in here, here is the war chamber,” from his favorite film, Doctor Strangelove by Stanley Kubrick. His conclusion? Whatever happens, just “suck in your breath, go ahead, and keep on,” no matter how wild things get.