'The chemistry was there': Michael J Fox recalls working with Christopher Lloyd in 'Back to the Future'
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: ‘Back to the Future’ stars Michael J Fox and Christopher Lloyd reunited at New York Comic Con on Sunday, October 9, and reflected on their iconic parts in the sci-fi flick. The panel discussion began with the actors recounting how, a little over a month into filming, Fox stepped into Eric Stoltz's shoes as Marty McFly. Lloyd said he remembered the announcement as it came after a series of night shoots dedicated to the moment Doc Brown finally cracks the code to time travel.
Lloyd, 83, recalled, "The announcement -- at one o'clock in the morning after we were shooting for six weeks -- was that the actor playing Marty would no longer be playing Marty and that tomorrow, we would start shooting with Michael. I felt that I barely made it through the [first] six weeks and now I was gonna have to do it again?!" Fox, 61, who was at the time filming 'Family Ties', was reluctant to sign on because his mother was worried that he would be too worn out trying to split his time between the TV show and a feature film. However, Fox ultimately decided to join what would become a career-defining film for both him and Lloyd. "The chemistry was there from the first scene we had, it was alive, and it remained that way for three movies. It hasn't gone away, by the way,” Lloyd remarked. The recent reunion comes as a stage musical based on the original movie is currently playing in London, with the plan to have it arrive on Broadway next year.
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The actors first collaborated on the 1985 blockbuster science fiction film 'Back to the Future' directed by Robert Zemeckis, a story of time travel that has since earned the reputation as one of the best movies ever made. Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, and Claudia Wells also starred in the movie which had a $19 million budget but generated nearly $400 million at the box office, reported Daily Mail. The film received an Academy Award for best sound effects editing, and three additional nominations, including the best original song for ‘The Power of Love’ by Huey Lewis and The News.
Such a beautiful moment, Michael J Fox and Christopher Lloyd renuiniting at Comic Con pic.twitter.com/HcblCb4ecD
— Giles Paley-Phillips (@eliistender10) October 9, 2022
Fox called working on the film and working with Lloyd in particular ‘a thrill,’ adding that anytime he got to work with the actor was a good day. Fox said, "All I had to do was just react. Just take it in and let it wash over me. I thought he was brilliant. That was the whole thing: be with Chris and let it be Chris, and enjoy it ... It was a thrill. Anytime I got to work with him, I knew it was gonna be a good day." After the success of the film, both Lloyd and Fox continued acting in movies and television series, until the latter confessed in his 2020 book ‘No Time Like the Future’ that he left the industry because of the advancement of his Parkinson's disease.
Fox explained, "You guys have given me my whole life. The best thing that happened in my life was this thing. Parkinson's is a gift. I've said to people it's a gift and they say, 'You're nuts.' I say, 'Yeah, but it's the gift that keeps on taking.' But it's a gift and I wouldn't change it for anything ... It's not about what I have, it's about what I've been given."
The two were invited to leave the audience with a few words of wisdom before the panel came to an end. The audience heard Lloyd quote a statement in classic Doc Brown style from 'Back to the Future' Part III, saying, "Your future is what you make of it, so make it a good one!" For his part, Fox quoted his favorite film, 'Doctor Strangelove' by Stanley Kubrick, "You can't fight in here, this is the war room," asking the crowd to "suck in your breath, go on, and carry on" no matter how crazy things get.