The original Back to the Future movie kick-started a franchise that remains one of the most popular in film history to this day, but three actors replaced from the original cast would have made for a much different movie if those actors had remained in the parts. Part of the reason why the franchise grossed almost one billion dollars over three films is the strong relationships that exist between the stars, between the protagonists and antagonists, and each of the supporting pieces. Director Robert Zemeckis was able to find the right chemistry with the right performers, but it did take some time to get the right people in place.
The Back to the Future movies proved to be a star-making vehicle for several of the performers who would have pivotal roles. Lea Thompson as Lorraine McFly would go on to have a long comedic career and Crispin Glover as George McFly and Thomas F. Wilson as Biff Tannen are to this day best known for their roles in one of the most popular and lucrative film franchises in history. The other three starring roles in the movie all caused a number of starts and stops that saw several famous faces come and go before the final cast was confirmed.
Eric Stoltz as Marty McFly
The most famous sliding door of Back to the Future casting was Eric Stoltz as the original casting choice for Marty McFly. When the movie first went into production, many young actors tried out for the part of high school student Marty McFly, but the one that producers wanted the most, Michael J. Fox, was not available due to scheduling issues with his popular television series Family Ties. After seeing many other actors try out including Jon Cryer and Ben Stiller, Eric Stoltz eventually won the part and was a part of filming for more than a month.
Almost immediately, the cast and crew of the movie started noticing that Stoltz did not quite have the comedy chops they were looking for to play the role, particularly as he was compared to a quirky and eccentric Dr. Emmett Brown. Much of Stoltz’s work to that point was in dramatic roles and his intense style of preparation for the part often rubbed people the wrong way. Stoltz was also rumored to have adopted a “method acting” style to his work, meaning he rarely, if ever, broke character even when off camera. He even asked everyone to refer to him by his character name at all times (via Vulture).
After more than a month’s worth of shooting, Zemeckis knew a change had to be made. He had been working with Michael J. Fox’s representatives off-screen and they had come to an agreement that would allow Fox to shoot Family Ties and Back to the Future at the same time. Zemeckis fired Eric Stoltz from Back to the Future and Fox was brought in shortly thereafter. He would work grueling days shooting his sitcom during the day and the movie in the evenings until 2:00 AM for five days a week.
John Lithgow as Doc Brown
One of the hallmarks of the popular 1980s film is the chemistry and relationship between Marty McFly and Christopher Lloyd’s Dr. Emmett Brown. While Lloyd was already installed in the role by the time Fox arrived for shooting, he was not the original choice for the part, with that designation going to John Lithgow. The actor who almost played Doc Brown had previously played a kooky and eccentric scientist on The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension where he worked with Neil Canton, one of Back to the Future‘s producers.
Canton had been impressed with Lithgow in that role and campaigned for him to get the job, thinking he would be a natural fit. In the end, Lithgow, like Michael J. Fox, had other filming commitments he could not break, so the studio went with their second choice Christopher Lloyd. Lloyd also was hesitant to take the role and almost turned it down to star in a New York City play. He eventually was convinced the movie would be a breakout success and signed on.
This would turn out to be a career-defining decision for Lloyd who would star in all three Back to the Future films and became such a strong on-screen partner to Michael J. Fox that fans have been clamoring for a fourth film for more than three decades since the release of Back to the Future III. Ironically, Christopher Lloyd was also in The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension and Canton had been impressed by his work as well. Lloyd was, perhaps better than Lithgow could have, able to give the Albert Einstein-inspired role the comedic element that eventually won fans over in the pairing with Fox.
Melora Hardin as Jennifer Parker
Claudia Wells was replaced by Elizabeth Shue between Back to the Future and Back to the Future II, but neither of them was the original choice to play Jennifer Parker, Marty’s girlfriend. The role of Jennifer was recast twice and was initially given to Melora Hardin. She was involved with principal photography and early shooting with Eric Stoltz. A tough decision was made, however, when Michael J. Fox signed on to the role and the creative team behind the movie made a choice to switch to Claudia Wells.
According to Hardin, she was replaced in the role because of the height difference between her and Michael J. Fox. Apparently, the director and the studio did not want Marty McFly to have a girlfriend who was taller. Hardin would later say that executives felt her height “emasculated” the lead character and that they wanted to protect his masculinity (via Page Six). Hardin would be replaced by Wells who was much closer to Fox’s height and remained in the role until she decided to leave acting to care for her ailing mother. Hardin later became best known for her role as Jan in the American version of The Office.
Lea Thompson as Lorraine McFly
Lea Thompson as Lorraine McFly is one of the original Back to the Future castings that remained throughout the entirety of the production. Thompson started her career as a professional ballet dancer before moving to theater. Before Back to the Future, Thompson had successful roles in both Red Dawn and Howard the Duck. Zemeckis and his team knew Thompson could find the right balance between dramatic and comedic scenes in the film.
Thompson was asked to play multiple versions of Lorraine in the inaugural film. In the 1985 timeline, Thompson plays Marty McFly’s mother, Lorraine Baines McFly, who is a housewife resigned to her middle-aged, middle-class life who pours herself a vodka before dinner. In the younger, 1955 timeline, Lorraine Baines is a happy and flirtatious 17-year-old who first develops a crush on Marty before Marty course-corrects her life and gets her to fall in love with George McFly.
Crispin Glover as George McFly
Crispin Glover, already well-known for roles on sitcoms like Happy Days and Family Ties as well as movies such as Friday The 13th: The Final Chapter, was cast to play George McFly. As a teenager in 1955, George is a science fiction-loving awkward teenager who is bullied by Biff Tannen and his friends. He eventually is encouraged to trust in his confidence and wins over Lorraine after confronting Biff. In the movie’s 1985 timeline, George is a family man in suburban America who also is a struggling author, but becomes a well-known, successful author once Marty intervenes.
Glover would famously disagree with Robert Zemeckis because he hated the ending of Back to the Future. He did not agree with the fact that the McFlys became wealthy and happy after Marty intervenes in 1955, stating that George and Lorraine’s relationship would have happened either way, meaning their lives would have turned out the same. These disagreements led to Crispin Glover being recast in Back to the Future II and Back to the Future III by Jeffrey Weissman.
Thomas F. Wilson as Biff Tannen
Thomas F. Wilson got his big break by landing his first movie role as Biff Tannen in Back to the Future. A tall, imposing figure, Wilson was cast as the bully to both Marty McFly and George McFly in the 1955 timeline. In the sequels, Wilson would play a much older and cantankerous version of Biff in Back to the Future II and a gruff and violent Mad Dog Tannen in Back to the Future III, set in 1885. Back to the Future would be Wilson’s career-defining role, and he has been vocal in the past about his willingness to take part in any sequels or future projects.
Sources: Vulture, Page Six
