Back to the Future is now a classic of the 1980s and Michael J. Fox is best ed for his role as Marty McFly, which he got after Eric Stoltz was fired from the movie. The 1980s is home to many classic movies across different genres, and in the worlds of sci-fi and comedy, Back to the Future is a clear favorite. Directed by Robert Zemeckis, Back to the Future introduces the world to teenager Marty McFly and his friend Emmett “Doc” Brown (Christopher Lloyd), an eccentric scientist working on a very important project.

Turns out that Doc has built a time machine with a modified DeLorean and powered by plutonium, which gets him into major trouble. When the terrorists Doc stole the plutonium from arrive and kill him, Marty panics and uses the DeLorean to escape, but it takes him back to 1955. Marty meets his parents, who are his age, but his presence in the past and meeting his parents risk making him disappear. Back to the Future was a critical and commercial success and Fox’s performance was praised, but this warm reception might not have happened had the original Marty McFly actor stayed.

Eric Stoltz Was Fired From Back To The Future A Month Into Filming

Eric Stoltz Wasn’t Marty McFly For Long

Back To The Future went through many obstacles during pre-production, and once filming began, it wasn’t exactly the smoothest process, either. Michael J. Fox was the first option to play Marty McFly, but at the time, he starred in the sitcom Family Ties. Steven Spielberg asked Family Ties’ producer Gary David Goldberg to have Fox read the script, but fearing that his absence would damage the show’s success, he didn’t give him the script. After many other actors were considered for the role, Eric Stoltz was ultimately cast.

Zemeckis reviewed the footage with the producers and they agreed that Stoltz wasn’t the actor for Marty McFly.

Filming began on November 26, 1984. A month later, Zemeckis reviewed the material they had, and though he was reluctant because he tends to be self-critical, he wasn’t feeling that Stoltz’s performance was working, and Zemeckis had a list of scenes he wanted to reshoot (via We Don’t Need Roads: The Making Of The Back To The Future Trilogy). Zemeckis reviewed the footage with the producers and they agreed that Stoltz wasn’t the actor for Marty McFly. Luckily for Zemeckis, the studio’s chief executive, Sidney Sheinberg, told him that, if Stoltz didn’t work, they could reshoot the movie (via Esquire).

This, along with Stoltz using method acting, which created tension with the rest of the cast and crew, led Spielberg to tell Zemeckis they needed to replace Stoltz or they risked the production of Back To The Future being canceled. The studio ed Michael J. Fox and the producer of Family Ties, who finally told Fox about the script. After reaching an agreement with Goldberg, Fox ed Back To The Future without reading the script, but production with Stoltz had to continue for a bit longer. On January 10, 1985, Stoltz was fired.

Stoltz had filmed various scenes by the time he was fired, including when Marty travels to 1955, when the DeLorean breaks down and Marty can’t return to 1985, and his return to his right year. Stoltz received a full salary after one month of filming, and only one scene with Stoltz was kept in the final cut of Back To The Future: when, in 1955, Marty punches Biff in the face.

Eric Stoltz’s Version Of Marty McFly Was Not What Zemeckis Was Looking For

Zemeckis Had A Clear Idea Of What He Wanted

What happened with Eric Stoltz and Back To The Future is that he wasn’t giving the Marty McFly performance Zemeckis was looking for. Stoltz was giving a darker and more serious Marty McFly, not exactly the screwball energy Zemeckis needed for the character, and he reportedly told his makeup artist that he didn’t know why he was cast because he wasn’t a comedian (via The Making Of The Back To The Future Trilogy). Stoltz was also given a hairstyle and overall look more like a “bad boy”, which, again, wasn’t fitting with Marty McFly.

Michael J. Fox started filming Back To The Future on January 15, 1985, dividing his time between shooting Family Ties and Zemeckis’ project. Fox’s presence reportedly changed the atmosphere on the set of Back To The Future for the better, and he brought to life the high-energy, clumsy, but charming and fun Marty McFly that Zemeckis needed.

Other Actors Who Were Considered For Marty McFly Before Eric Stoltz

Meet The Actors Who Almost Played Marty McFly

After Michael J. Fox wasn’t given the script of Back To The Future and before Eric Stoltz was cast, other actors were considered to play Marty McFly. The frontrunner was C. Thomas Howell, best known for playing Ponyboy Curtis in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Outsiders, but Sheinberg preferred Stoltz after seeing his performance in the 1985 drama Mask. Many big names were considered to play Marty McFly, among them John Cusack, Johnny Depp, Ralph Maccio, Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer, Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., Billy Zane, Matthew Modine, and George Newborn.

Musician Corey Hart was also eyed to play Marty McFly, but according to The Making Of The Back To The Future Trilogy, he declined the offer and didn’t audition. While some of them aren’t exactly comedic actors, others might have been able to channel the energy and personality Zemeckis wanted Marty McFly to have, but ultimately, Michael J. Fox was the ideal actor for the role.

What Eric Stoltz Has Done Since Back To The Future Came Out

Eric Stoltz Continued His Career After Back To The Future

Robert Zemeckis described firing Eric Stoltz from Back To The Future as the “hardest” meeting he had ever had and felt guilty about it, saying that he broke Stoltz’s heart (Blockbuster, via Esquire). However, and thankfully, being fired from Back To The Future after filming for a month wasn’t the end of Eric Stoltz’s career. Stoltz’s acting career began on TV in 1978, and he made his big screen debut in a minor role in the 1982 coming-of-age comedy Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Stoltz’s big break arrived in 1985 when he played Rocky Dennis in Mask.

After leaving Back To The Future, Stoltz had a role in the rom-com Say Anything… and starred in the sci-fi horror movie The Fly II, the failed sequel to David Cronenberg’s classic. In the 1990s, Stoltz played Lance in Pulp Fiction, John Brooke in Little Women, Ethan Valhere in Jerry Maguire, and Dr. Cale in Anaconda.

On TV, Stoltz’s most notable projects are Mad About You (where he played Alan Tofsky), Chicago Hope (as Dr. Yeats), Caprica (as Daniel Graystone), and The Girls on the Bus (John Spencer). Eric Stoltz has also worked as director in the movies Confessions of a Teenage Jesus Jerk and Class Rank, as well as in episodes of Law & Order, Grey’s Anatomy, Nip/Tuck, Glee, and Bull.

Sources: We Don’t Need Roads: The Making Of The Back To The Future Trilogy, Esquire.