why did eric stoltz leave back to the future
Digital Spy participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. According to the available call sheets, Stoltz filmed for seven weeks between November 26, 1984 and January 10, 1985. It didn't take long for me to see that we were saving our energy for what would come next. Eric's response years later? 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Here’s why you won’t see more of the infamous Eric Stoltz footage any time soon. Eric Stoltz just might be best remembered for a movie he didn't star in. ", Fame is a vapor, popularity an accident, riches take wings.Only one thing endures, and that is character. Back to the Future Co-Creator Tackles Long-Held Fan Theory. The actor's performance in Mask was a major factor, so Zemeckis and the producers went along with the choice. This allegedly aggravated several actors. Fox, who was temporarily unavailable at the time. He was a really good actor. Bill Hutchinson Has Kids With Two Different Women — Will He Have More With Bri? That meant he required his peers to call him Marty even in their personal lives. Distractify is a registered trademark. Fox really was the first choice for Marty, but due to scheduling conflicts (he was on the show Family Ties and the producer wouldn't let him take a break to film Back to the Future) director Robert Zemeckis went with his second choice: Eric Stoltz. Eric Stoltz and his wife Bernadette Moley who is alive in 2021 Image Source: Getty. Bob Gale has done some detective work to see if Eric Stoltz did make it into a few frames of Back to the Future. All Rights Reserved. The '80s Called and People Responded With the Best Bits of Nostalgia, This Is Why Althea Was Written off 'In the Heat of the Night', Steven Spielberg's 'Amazing Stories' Is a Reboot From the '80s for Apple TV. Eric Stoltz in Back to the Future It wasn’t that Eric Stoltz was doing a bad job as Marty McFly; he just wasn’t funny. Here's how the film could've looked with Eric Stoltz as Marty McFly pic.twitter.com/XHrz2dBWyc, — Digital Spy Film (@digitalspyfilm) June 29, 2015. (These can be found by going to www.bttf.com, then cli… Perhaps he was remembering the evening of … While the actor has kept most of his prior relationships under the radar, he did have a public relationship with Bridget Fonda in the late 1980s. Eric Cameron Stoltz (born September 30, 1961) is an American actor, director and producer. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. "We thought it was silly, but we figured if it helped him do his job, it was harmless. "We almost always called him Marty," he said. Not only was Stoltz cast in Back to the Future, but the production went full speed ahead with him, completing several weeks of filming before the decision was made to … Before Michael, actor Eric Stoltz was cast in Back to the Future, and parts of the movie were filmed with him as Marty — but it quickly became obvious Eric wasn't right for the part, and he was basically fired. I’ll give you the bad news. Fox wasn’t the first actor cast as Marty McFly. He was a bully to Tom Wilson, the guy who played the bully, Biff Tannen. Eric Stoltz is a vegetarian. This week, we travel back in time and talk about Back to the Future including topics like Eric Stoltz being cast as Marty McFly originally, some of our favorite Back to the Future quotes, the obstacles the film had to endure to get its feet going underneath, and much more!. According to accounts from cast and crew on the movie, Stoltz approached Marty in a "method" acting style and lacked the comedic lightness of touch Zemeckis and his co-writer/co-producer Bob Gale wanted for the part. Fox wasn't always Marty McFly in the iconic '80s film Back to the Future? Those around him did not have very consistently high opinions of this. Stoltz had already shot for five weeks as Marty when he was let go from the production, and now a new behind-the-scenes book - We Don't Need Roads: The Making of the Back to the Future Trilogy by Caseen Gaines - has shed fresh light on the dismissal. 30 geekiest things you never knew about Back to the Future, Back to the Future in 88 seconds: Power of Love, pizza hydration, Jaws, Back to the Future director Robert Zemeckis won't allow any remakes. Robert told everyone, "We have an announcement. Fox Replace Eric Stoltz as Marty McFly? Why did Eric Stoltz leave Back to the Future? Eric is a method actor, which meant he pretended to be Marty even when he was off set. For five weeks, Eric played Marty until Robert decided Eric was way too serious for the role, and that he was, well, kind of annoying. 'The Challenge: All Stars' Will Air Next Month — Will Fans Be Able to Watch It on MTV? While you can only find Eric's Marty online these days, the fist that punches Biff is actually Eric's. -Horace Greeley. Not only that, but allegedly Eric used all his might in the cafeteria scene between him and Thomas F. Wilson, who played Biff. Diehard Back to the Future fans remember that Stoltz shot for five weeks in the lead role before Zemeckis decided to recast with Michael J. "When we would set up a shot and we would shoot Chris Lloyd's angle, but we wouldn't do the reverse on Marty," he said. Although he was doing the part well, he was not bringing that element of comedy to the screen.” Ouch. “Eric is such a different actor, and he could be very difficult,” says Back to the Future star Lea Thompson, who says she was “really good friends” with Stoltz. Apparently, that was part and parcel of why Stoltz was fired. Director of photography Dean Cundey confessed that he felt an uneasiness on set in the final days. Vulture reports that Eric took the news hard, as can be expected. 29/06/2015. and Bob would say, 'No, no, no, let's not worry about that'. In 2010, he told Moviehole that getting let go from Back to the Future was "freeing" and that it allowed him to go back to school and live in Europe for awhile. and when he was told it was the actor who played Marty, he said, "Oh. But the real problem wasn’t Stoltz’s behavior; it was the fact that he wasn’t funny. We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article. To this day, nobody knows if he was joking or not. Years later, when Eric Stoltz was asked to reflect on his time working on Back to the Future, the actor recounted that it felt like a long winter. Fox owns Back to the Future to infinity and beyond https://t.co/6gRG5U2I7z, The news wasn't surprising to the cast when the director announced it. "I'd say, 'Don't we need the angle?' Although he was doing the part well, he was not bringing that element of comedy to the screen.". Originally Answered: Why did Eric Stoltz get fired from Back to the Future? ", Back to the Future turns 30 this week! Fox really was the first choice for Marty, but due to scheduling conflicts (he was on the show Family Ties and the producer wouldn't let him take a break to film Back to the Future ) director Robert Zemeckis went with his … He had roles in movies like Pulp Fiction, Little Women, Kicking and Screaming, Jerry McGuire, and multiple shows like Mad About You, and most recently Madame Secretary. Steven Speilberg, Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale reveal the decision changed the film i absolutely love Eric Stoltz (hello, Keith Nelson), but Micheal J. Despite Breakup Rumors, Tiffany Haddish Says Her Relationship With Common Is the Best She's Ever Had. So it’s only good news and good news. Apparently Wilson was sort of excited to fight back when his character retaliated. Actor Eric Stoltz has played some very interesting, not to mention significantly diverse characters. It's #BackToTheFutureDay so what better time than to post the fantastic skateboard chase/manure truck scene round Hill Valley town square. Did you know that Michael J. Stoltz was also a method actor, meaning that he would stay in character even when cameras weren't rolling and demanded that everyone address him as Marty, which was a great annoyance to the cast and crew, especially Thomas F. Wilson, who portrayed Biff. Offers may be subject to change without notice. It seems strange that another actor could possibly play the goofy character, but it's true. Among Back to the Future fans, it’s a well-known fact that Michael J. It's also interesting to note that his pinned tweet (from 2011) reads, "Fame is a vapor, popularity an accident, riches take wings. The co-creator of Back To The Future has said the film would have never been the success it was if Eric Stoltz had not been replaced by Michael J … Most film buffs know that Eric Stoltz was the original Marty McFly in Back to the Future before director Robert Zemeckis made the difficult decision to replace him with Michael J Fox. He wasn't really a comedian, and they needed a comedian. After seeing a rough cut, Steven Spielberg and the writer/directors decided that Stoltz had played the role too seriously for a comedy, and he was replaced by Michael J. Stoltz also reportedly clashed with Thomas F Wilson on set, bruising the Biff Tannen actor's collarbone after repeatedly pushing him hard during the '50s cafe scene. This is what happened to Eric Stoltz on the set of Back to the Future, as now fully disclosed in the "extras" section of the new DVD edition. Michael J. Back to the Future Mystery: Why Did Michael J. Stoltz — who originally beat out Johnny Depp, Charlie Sheen, John Cusack, and C. Thomas Howell for the role — brought too much intensity to a comedic performance, said Lea Thompson. When Marty went to pick a fight, Eric actually used real force. No. Back to the Future The 1985 movie Back to the Future is famous for its likable humor and its blink-and-you'll-miss-it time-travel alterations... as well as for director Robert Zemeckis' decision to replace star Eric Stoltz after five weeks of shooting. Eric Stoltz went the route of a method actor, demanding total immersion into the part, both on and off-screen. He may not have been Marty McFly, but he's had a pretty fly career after all. ", Christopher Lloyd added of Stoltz's take on the time-travelling teen: "I felt for Eric. ", 30 geekiest things you never knew about Back to the FutureBack to the Future in 88 seconds: Power of Love, pizza hydration, JawsBack to the Future director Robert Zemeckis won't allow any remakes. He met Fonda way back in 1986 but waited till 1990 to officially start dating. The co-creator of Back To The Future Bob Gale has said the film would havenever been the success it was if Eric Stoltz had not been replaced by MichaelJ Fox as Marty McFly while the film was already in production. Eric Stoltz, according to numerous people who were in the film “Back To The Future”, was apparently obsessed with a school of acting known as Method acting. I really thought his name was Marty." In We Don't Need Roads (via Vulture), Gale recalled how Stoltz insisted on being referred to as "Marty" even when cameras stopped rolling. He was a really good actor. We’re going to have to reshoot most of the movie because we’ve changed the cast and there’s going to be a new Marty: Michael J. -Horace Greeley. It’s probably going to be shocking — kind of good news, bad news. I guess the other good news is that we’re going to continue on. He was famously cast as Marty McFly in Back to the Future, but fired after five … Here's the full story. By that point, studio Universal Pictures had already negotiated around Fox's Family Ties schedule and the actor swiftly began filming the Twin Pines mall sequence with Lloyd. "It was hard for me because I was really good friends with Eric," she said "Eric is such a different actor and he could be very difficult... "[He] had such an intensity. It's not like Eric didn't go on to have a successful career. “It was a time when we were emerging from the '70s. https://t.co/Dn66Cctbn4. Zemeckis and producers Gale, Neil Canton, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall and Steven Spielberg were all present when the announcement was made to crew that Stoltz was being released. pic.twitter.com/faAeJ71f5Q. The PulpFiction actor was originally cast in the 1985 classic movie about a highschool student who is accidentally sent 30 years into the past in a time-traveling DeLorean, but … Lea Thompson, who had worked with Stoltz on 1984 film The Wild Life, said that she initially took news of her co-star's firing hard. But it turns out that Stoltz wasn't the only actor to get the ax. Michael J. Most film buffs know that Eric Stoltz was the original Marty McFly in, This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. There were a few people on the crew who'd worked on Mask and they called him Rocky, the name of his character in that film. Here is another interesting thing about Eric Stoltz that … He then added, "Okay, well, then that’s the good news. Images of the scenes of Stoltz as Marty can be seen on www.bttf.com, where they were posted in 2002. Unfortunately, for all parties, he wasn't the right fit from the very beginning, so, despite Stoltz completing a month and a half of footage as Marty, the decision was … The co-creator of Back To The Future has said the film would have never been the success it was if Eric Stoltz had not been replaced by Michael J … He's super-funny in real life, but he didn't approach his work like that, and they really needed somebody who had those chops. © Copyright 2021 Distractify. After the decision was made to fire Stoltz, production actually continued in early January 1985 with the actor working alongside Lloyd to film the Twin Pines mall scene. Other actors had different reactions, most notably Christopher Lloyd, who responded to the news by saying, "Well, who's Eric?" Only one thing endures, and that is character. ", The Holy Grail of Back to the Future footage may never be fully released. According to Vocal, Eric demanded that everyone call him Marty in between takes. 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