Michael J. Fox joined the cast of ‘Back to the Future’ in the early 1980s, replacing Eric Stoltz. Lea Thompson discussed her reaction to the casting change during a recent appearance on the ‘Still Here Hollywood’ podcast.
“I remember specifically being really snooty because there was a big division between movie stars and TV stars at that point,” she recalled. “I remember being like, ‘He’s just a TV star and I’m a movie star — I was in ‘Jaws 3D.’’ So I think it took me a while to warm up to him.”
Director Robert Zemeckis originally wanted Michael J. Fox to play Marty McFly, but scheduling conflicts forced him to cast Eric Stoltz instead. When Fox became available, Zemeckis decided to fire Stoltz and bring him on board.
Since Thompson and Stoltz had been friends since appearing together in 1984’s ‘The Wild Life,’ she found it difficult to connect with Fox at first.
But she noted, “He was so funny and fun to act with. I had done some scenes with Eric already and then had to redo them with Michael, so I could see how they were completely different scenes.”
The two later reunited for the ‘Back to the Future’ sequels in the late 1980s. Today, Thompson stars in Hallmark+’s ‘The Chicken Sisters’ alongside Schuyler Fisk, Genevieve Angelson, and Wendie Malick.
Fox last appeared in his documentary film, ‘Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie,’ in 2023.
