It was July 1985. A new movie about time travel,
"Back to the Future" had been shown in cinemas for several days. Michael J Fox, who played Marty
McFly, picked up the phone to talk to his agent. I ve watched the movie - heard the actor on
the other end of the line. Without listening to the end, Michael immediately began to
make excuses: I'm sorry! I'll try harder next time!" No, you don't understand. - his
interlocutor exclaimed excitedly, - This is the main film of the summer!"
It turned out later it was the main film, not only for one summer and even a decade. Back to
the Future quickly became a cult hit. Ironically, one of the actors would get the title of
a legend after the release of the film. However, this movie would almost destroy
his life. The second one threw the script into the trash can before the shooting of the
film, which was supposed to glorify him.
It s Biographer. Today we will go back
to the future to find out how Marty and Doc's lived before, during and after the
filming of Back to the Future . Are you ready? We're starting!
LLOYD, THE BEGINNING
Christopher Allen Lloyd, the man who would
be called simply "Doc" by future audiences, was born in Stamford on October 22, 1938. He was
the youngest child of three boys and four girls in the family of a successful lawyer and singer.
Despite such numerous children in the family, Christopher did not spend much time with them,
because he was much younger than others.
Inset quote: My siblings were already off in
the world doing whatever they wanted to do. My two brothers were in the second world war;
one was a pilot, one was a marine. Thank heavens, they both came back alive and well. But I grew
up pretty much by myself with my parents.
The actor's mother was from the noble family
of John Howland, one of the first settlers of America, passengers of the Mayflower ship,
who settled in New England in the 1600s.
The movie star spent his childhood in elite
educational institutions and in several mansions, including a house in New Canaan, which Mrs Lloyd
later presented to the city. At the age of 14, Christopher got into one of the popular summer
theaters, performing right in the open air. His decision to try his hand in that field was
influenced by his older brother Samuel, who was an actor. He mainly performed in the theater.
Lloyd also recalled how, as a child, his mother took him to Laurence Olivier's "Hamlet". She
thought that being small, Christopher would not understand anything, but the boy left the cinema,
fascinated and inspired by that film. Acquaintance with one of the best actors of all time made
a strong impression on the young Lloyd.
The acting immediately fascinated
the boy, and he could not think of any other career since that time.
While attending Staples High School in Connecticut, Christopher acted in
amateur plays and dreamed of acting. After graduating from Staples High School
in coastal Westport in 1958 with honors, he went to study acting in New York.
I need to express myself. And I gradually discovered that through acting in a role, I
could relate to people. So I stuck with it.
There he began studying in Sanford Meisner's
drama class. That teacher was famous for teaching talent, teaching young actors the technique of
acting according to the system of Konstantin Stanislavsky, but in his own interpretation.
The student was distinguished by enviable perseverance, he remained in the lecture hall
until the last minute, often being alone, and repeated the material.
Inset quote: I had no confidence I d ever get anywhere with it, but I persisted
and something worked so here we are.
Christopher attended practical classes and always
visited the screening room when science fiction films were shown. Usually he watched such
films several times. His passion for fantasy subsequently became the main theme in his work.
Alongside his studies, Lloyd also lived his love life. In 1959, he married Catharine Dallas
Dixon Boyd. That marriage lasted 12 years.
Before starting to act, Christopher actively
played in the theater during his student days, honing the skill of transformation, gaining
experience and rising to a higher artistic height with each performance. The debut of the actor on
the stage took place in the production of 1961 based on the play by Fernando Arrabal "And
They Put Handcuffs on the Flowers."
The young actor was quickly noticed,
and already in the early 1970s, you could see the artist's name almost on every
Broadway theater poster. Lloyd played the main characters in Shakespeare's productions of
"A Midsummer Night's Dream", "Macbeth" and "King Lear" on the stages of small theatres. Soon,
Christopher's stock of plays grew to 200 roles.
One of the reasons for his high demand
was considered not only a great talent, but also the characteristic appearance of the
actor, as well as his voice. It was creaky and had a rare low timbre, allowing him to perfectly
embody the images of insidious villains.
In 1973, his acting talent was awarded the most
prestigious award in the theatrical environment, the "Drama Desk Awards". He was awarded for
the lead role in the production of "Kaspar" based on the play-drama by Peter Handke.
A year later, Lloyd remarried. His second wife, Kay Tornborg, was also an actress. However, that
marriage did not last long. The couple broke up in 1987. In general, the actor hid his personal
life very carefully. He rarely gave interviews, nobody knew much about his relationship.
In the meantime, he had a lot of work.
The movie career of Christopher Lloyd
began relatively late (at that time, he was already 33 years old).
In 1975, he was noticed by the famous director Milos Forman, who decided to film Ken Kesey's
popular bestseller "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest". Lloyd was auditioned for the role of the
crazy Max Taber, which he played brilliantly.
In some sense, that character
predetermined the artist's career, since he showed his strongest side. He could
convincingly show unstable, if not crazy, heroes who lived in their own minds, but
who were always very interesting to watch. It was clear that Jack Nicholson was the main
star in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", but without an impressive supporting cast,
the film would never have worked.
A successful debut encouraged the actor to move to
Los Angeles and try himself in the Hollywood film industry. Soon he began to receive job offers
to take part in movies and television shows. Basically, it was minor roles
in westerns and detectives.
In the mid-80s, the future Dr Emmett Brown managed
to take part in another cult sci-fi franchise. Lloyd played the role of Commander Kruge
in "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock". It was not easy to play being in such makeup,
but Lloyd did a great job and added that role to his collection of villainous roles.
Lloyd became popular after the television series "Taxi", in which he played
the Reverend Jim Ignatowski. The series became extremely successful and was
nominated for 31 Emmy Awards, of which it won 13 during its existence. "Taxi" is now on TV Guide's
list of the 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.
The show was filmed from 1978 to 1983. Lloyd,
whose films were becoming more in demand, received two Emmy Awards in the Best Supporting
Actor nomination during that period.
Have you watched that series or any of Lloyd's
other projects besides "Back to the Future"? Be sure to write in the comments
which character you like the most.
Of course, thanks to his role in "Taxi",
Lloyd became quite popular in the US. However, soon he would play in a film
that would make him famous worldwide.
In 1984, the producer Neil Canton talked to Lloyd.
He knew him well from work on "The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension". It
turned out that Canton was going to shoot a new film about time travel, and was looking for
an actor to play a slightly mad scientist.
At first, Lloyd turned down the role, but the
producer persuaded him to read the script. Do you think Lloyd immediately fell
in love with the story and agreed to participate after reading the script? No, he
didn t. He threw the script in the trash can, and only a long conversation with a friend
convinced him to give that story a chance.
We should mention that Lloyd was not the
first and only candidate for the role of Doc. Jeff Goldblum, John Lithgow, Dudley Moore, Ron
Silver, and Robin Williams also auditioned for this role. But in the end, Lloyd got the part that
would later make viewers love him worldwide.
It wasn t the problem for the filmmakers to find Doc. But it was much more difficult for
the creators of "Back to the Future" to get Marty McFly.
FOX, BEGINNING
Marty McFly... oh, sorry, Michael
Andrew Fox was born on June 9th, 1961, in the Canadian province town of Edmonton.
The Fox family was half creative, since Michael's mother acted in films in her youth. After
marriage and the birth of five children, the woman decided to change her career of artist
to the more steady profession of a clerk.
Her film career was hindered by her husband's
job. Bill Fox served in the Canadian armed forces. During his service, he moved from one
city to another, and a large family traveled around the country with him.
The nomadic way of life ended when Michael was 13 years old because the head of the
family resigned. The Foxes settled in the town of Burnaby, a suburb of Vancouver. Michael
went to the school where Bryan Adams studied, who was older for a year and a half.
Michael was outgoing and friendly, but sharp-tongued. He once told a coach
who was pushing him into the background:
"If you put me last, I will do
everything to make you look stupid!"
And the coach did not doubt
that he would do it.
However, Michael's height did not allow his dream
of being a hockey player to come true. Fox started skating at an early age and passionately dreamed
of becoming famous in the sport. However, he ended his career at school competitions, because he
didn t have the most athletic physical form.
Michael became passionately interested in rock
when he was 15 years old, estimating his musical chances above sports ones. Parents accepted
rock-n-roll, and Fox received a wonderful gift on Christmas. It was a real Fender guitar.
As he would say later: "It became obvious to me that rock and roll is a more realistic way to fame
than the NHL." But he never became a professional musician. Michael had another future.
The teacher at the acting studio noticed the charismatic guy during his school years
and invited Michael to try his hand at acting. A funny boy with a great mimic
quickly developed a taste for that.
Inset quote: There are many actors
among the children of the military. You are constantly getting used to
new places, new schools. Willy-nilly, you should either look for a way to attract
attention to yourself or become an outcast.
Fox soon began to attend auditions and starring in
episodes of various TV shows with the suggestion of a teacher. As a result, in the late 70s, he
played an episodic role as a schoolboy in "Family" and appeared in the series "The Magic Lie" and
"The Love Boat". Michael played the role of a twelve-year-old boy, the protagonist's brother, In
the TV series "Leo and Me". At that time, Michael was already 15, but he really looked too young.
Michael Fox became an actor in great demand. He was performing at the best theater in Vancouver
a year later. He was invited to TV projects and advertising. Work in the film studio fascinated
Michael so much that he did not dream of any other profession. Plus, an acting career meant for
him a lot of money. During one summer on the set, Michael earned ten times more than his
classmates at the local fish factory.
He played in Edward Parone's
drama "Letters from Frank" at the age of 17. The producer of the film
recommended the boy move to Los Angeles and seriously pursue an acting career.
Fox listened to the advice.
He packed his suitcase and shocked his parents
with the announcement that he was going to Los Angeles at the age of 18. The father did not
resist his son's decision and personally took Michael to Los Angeles and also gave him three
thousand dollars, which should have been enough for the first time.
CITY OF DREAMS
The young man had to take a pseudonym when
he arrived in Los Angeles. The namesake, the actor Michael Fox, was already on the list
of the Guild of American Actors. So there was a creative pseudonym "Michael J. Fox" under which
the star from Canada was recognized worldwide. The aspiring artist borrowed his second name from
his idol, western actor Michael J. Pollard.
The path to glory turned out to be
thorny and not as easy as he would like. Fox began to appear in commercials and roles in
minor films, like the comedy "Midnight Madness" and the action crime thriller "Class of 1984".
Suddenly, for Michael, his short stature became an obstacle to his path to fame. All partners
turned out to be head and shoulders above him.
The actor himself later joked:
Inset quote: My height has never given me problems. If I was fat, it would
be different. And when you're small, you just have to live with it.
Or walk in the platform shoes"
Although his relatives knew that at that time he
had gained a lot of weight, trying to hide his height, he even went on a diet for a long time.
It was hardly possible to live on the money from the filming. That s why he also worked at the
diner. A new series of episodic roles seemed like disasters, his father's money quickly ran
out, and Michael had to move from a rented flat to a garage, selling his car and starting to
eat cheap pasta. Fox actually didn't have work, was indebted to everyone around him,
and was rapidly gaining weight.
At some point, Michael was ready to pack
his bags and return home in disgrace. But then there was a call from a nearby cafe.
Fox couldn't even afford a phone, so he left the number of a local dive bar to contact. That
call was fateful for Michael, since he finally was noticed and invited to audition for the role
of Alex Keaton in the "Family Ties" sitcom.
Michael was not supposed to get that role.
Show creator Gary Goldberg wanted Matthew Broderick to play Alex. But he refused, not
wanting to work with a multi-year contract.
And then it was time for casting director
Judith Weiner. She was impressed by Michel during the auditions.
The woman persuaded Goldberg to give Michael a chance.
Inset quote: So, [Weiner] calls him in, and I say, Anything you want me to tell you?
He goes, No, just do it better, huh? And he gives me this little smile, and I m thinking,
Matthew who? It was like boom. He nailed it. He just played who he was, he played another
side. He was Mike. And as soon as he left, I turned to Judith and I said, This kid s great.
Why didn t you tell me about him? " (Goldberg)
As a result, Fox was approved. The nation
liked his character so much that the show quickly shifted its focus from liberal parents
to conservative kids, especially Alex Keaton.
The ratings were high, and even President
Reagan named "Family Ties" his favorite show.
The actor starred in a couple of television
films during the filming of the show, but America knew and loved him only as Alex.
Michael received 3 Emmy and Golden Globe Awards for the role. Fox said that he saw a
lot of himself in Alex and that the role taught him a lot about acting.
Inset quote: What I learned about acting, especially doing that show, is that I thought
of acting, when I was younger, as something [where] you put on a character. You re trying to
be somebody else, and really what it is, is trying to take stuff off. That s the great fun of playing
Alex: he is a kid who s putting on all this stuff, and when it was really effective was when you see
him naked. You see he s just this scared kid.
"Family Ties" gave Michael not only
fame but also the love of his life. During the filming of the show, he met
actress Tracy Pollan, who played Ellen, the girlfriend of his character Alex. In an
interview, Tracy described their relationship as "old-fashioned, flawless, and optimistic,
just like any perfect first love."
Their own relationship was similar. However, at
the time of their meeting, Pollan was dating Kevin Bacon and was even going to marry him, so she and
Michael had little contact outside the set.
It seemed that the actor had a serious
relationship with actress Nancy McKeon, and then he was suspected of having
a relationship with Courteney Cox, who joined the cast of "Family Ties".
But in 1985, on the set of "Bright Lights, Big City", Michael was smitten with love for
Tracy, who also had a role in the project.
The actor proposed to his beloved
after seven months of the relationship in December 1987. They got married in
1988. From the first meeting, I fell in love with his sense of humor and intellect.
He is very smart, Pollan later admitted.
But there was a test for them before the marriage.
A crazy Michael's fan began to send threatening letters to both of them, sometimes 15 letters
a day, after learning about the engagement. The woman was found quickly. It turned out
that she was writing from a psychiatric hospital, where she was awaiting trial for
threatening to arrange a terrorist attack.
But we come back to the early 80s. "Family Ties"
gave Michael not only love and first glory. Steven Spielberg saw him. The producer and his
protege director and screenwriter Robert Zemeckis prepared a fantastic comedy about time travel.
BACK TO THE FUTURE
The creators of "Back to the Future"
quickly realized that Michael was the perfect candidate for the role of Marty McFly. But there was a big problem. At that time, Fox was
still under contract to shoot in "Family Ties". And no one wanted the beloved character to
go from the series during filming. Therefore, despite Michael's ardent desire to act in "Back
to the Future", his candidacy was refused.
Zemeckis and Spielberg had to do a
long-term casting. Johnny Depp, John Cusack, Ben Stiller and C. Thomas Howell and many others
participated in the audition for that role.
The shooting was constantly delayed since
Zemeckis could not choose the main character.
In the end, several candidates remained, Eric
Stoltz was among them. When the director of Universal looked at auditions, he said: Take
Stoltz. I'm so sure he'll pull through that if anything goes wrong, I'll allow you to reshoot
it all over again with another actor."
Finally, work on the film began. For several
weeks, Stoltz diligently played the role of Marty McFly. But the more time passed, the more Zemeckis
became aware that something was going wrong.
Inset quote: Stoltz is a great actor. He acted
wonderfully, it was impossible to wish for better. But with each new take, I realized more and
more clearly that Eric is not the Marty McFly that Bob and I came up with when we wrote the
script. There was not a hint of the humor that Marty should have. Eric was monstrous,
deadly dramatic. (Robert Zemeckis)
Then Zemeckis decided to remind the director
of Universal of his recent words about reshoots and stop the films' production. That
difficult decision cost the studio $3 million. But Zemeckis truly believed that only
Michael J. Fox could be the real Marty.
The studio asked the actor again. It seemed like
something unreal, but he agreed, despite his absolute employment. He said: "I agree to work
day and night, just take me to that film."
The actor agreed to work overtime and immediately
proved that the authors did not regret their choice. He didn't even have to act because he
was just like Marty McFly himself. Eric Stoltz hated skateboarding, but Michael was fond of it
since childhood, he also played in several bands during his school years and dreamed of becoming
a rock star. He was born for that role.
Finally, Doc and Marty found each other. Now, it
is hard to imagine that the film turned out to be so successful without the charm of Michael J.
Fox and the eccentricity of Christopher Lloyd.
However, recalling the actor's replacement,
Christopher Lloyd said he worried before filming with Fox. He wasn't sure he could work as well as
he did the first time with an unfamiliar actor. But fortunately, everything worked out.
Michael immediately jumped into action and made all the scenes filmed earlier
with Stolz in just two weeks.
Finally, the work on the film went
in full swing. Any young actor would no doubt envy Fox's luck. But no one in
their right mind would envy his busy schedule. Fox worked on two series in a row with
almost no rest for over three months. Fox was involved in filming in the evenings, while
daytime scenes were filmed over the weekend.
In his autobiography, the actor recalled that the
driver would pick him up at 9:30 a.m. and take him to Paramount, where Michael would spend the entire
day rehearsing that week's show, culminating in a run-through at approximately 5:00 p.m. each day.
Then another driver would pick him up at 6 o'clock and take him to Universal Studios or any other
remote location where the group was based that evening, where Fox worked until dawn."
Inset quote: Then, I was climbing into the back of the van with a pillow and a blanket,
and another driver was driving me home again. Sometimes he literally carried me into my flat
and put me into my bed. I slept for two or three hours before the number one driver reappeared then
woke me up to start the whole process over.
Fox really wanted to go from television to
cinema, and therefore courageously endured all the inconveniences associated with
working on two projects at the same time. The director was constantly in a half-asleep
state, due to the long night shifts. But no one complained. Everyone was under the spell
of the unique atmosphere of the 50s.
Christopher Lloyd copied his character from
the famous conductor Leopold Stokowski, with his tousled white hair and swinging motions. Doc
Brown moved like he conducted an orchestra that just he saw. In addition, there was something from
Einstein in Brown, especially since he was a crazy genius according to the script. Interestingly,
he pronounced the word "Gigawatt" as "Jigawatt". It is just like it was said by one physicist
when Zemeckis and Gale consulted with him about the scientific content of the plot.
Doc's full name is Emmet L Brown. Throughout the film, the middle name is never deciphered, and
only screenwriter Bob Gale revealed the secret. The full name of the character is Dr. Emmett
Lathrop Brown, and if you read it the other way around, you get two words - time and portal .
Not everyone knows that the early script for "Back to the Future" was very
different from the movie we know.
In the original version, the main character was
engaged in video piracy, and he moved to the past using a time machine made of ... attention! .
Refrigerator! The device was going to be delivered to a test site in Nevada so that he would take the
impact of a nuclear explosion and send Marty home. But Zemeckis was afraid that children
would climb into refrigerators under the impression of the film. Therefore,
the car replaced the refrigerator.
Well, later, the idea about the refrigerator nevertheless found someone to
embody it on the screen.
The title of the film could also be different.
Studio head Sid Sheinberg once sent a note to the filmmakers suggesting that they should
change the working title from "Back to the Future" to "Space Man from Pluto".
Zemeckis and Gale were outraged but, being newcomers, didn't know
how to say no to such a boss.
Fortunately, the influential Steven Spielberg
was the executive producer of the project, and he knew how to respond.
Spielberg wrote back to Sheinberg: "Hi Sid, thanks for your humorous note, we all
had a good laugh at it, keep up the good work." Of course, after this, the head of the studio
did not dare to admit that it was not a joke.
One of the most striking and beloved scenes
in the film was Marty's rock performance. It's hard to believe, but Zemeckis
originally wanted to cut it out. Fortunately, the test audience liked it so much
that the director nevertheless decided to leave it and, as it turned out, he did the right thing.
Since Michael J. Fox was a musician in real life, it was not difficult for
him to play a guitarist.
However, it was not Fox's guitar playing or
vocals that we heard in that iconic scene. Professional musician Tim May performed guitar and
that scene, and Fox himself trained additionally with guitar teacher Paul Hanson to imitate
May's finger work as closely as possible.
The film was released in 1985 and for 11 weeks
it was the absolute leader at the US box office. The reaction of the audience exceeded
all expectations of the filmmakers.
As for the Academy Awards, "Back to
the Future" received four nominations, including Best Screenplay, but it ended up
winning only one Oscar for Best Sound Editing. Fox received a Golden Globe nomination for his
role, and Lloyd was nominated for a Saturn Award.
The film became a pop-cultural phenomenon. Even
forty years after the release of the first part, a lot of people continue to revise it, parody
it, and make references to it in other films. And there are even parody series. And, of course,
the popularity of the first film was the impetus for the creation of two more sequels.
SEQUELS
It would seem that the authors planned a sequel
from the very beginning. No wonder the final scene directly hinted at the sequel.
But the irony is that the last scene of "Back to the Future" is a joke. At least,
they wanted it to be a joke originally. Zemeckis and Gale came up with it as the final
prank. They believed it was the best way to complete the film. At that time, they did not even
think that the film would be so popular and that the studio and fans would ask for a sequel.
