Lea Thompson had to work through a few issues before she was able to develop chemistry with Michael J. Fox on the Back to the Future shoot. When asked if she “hit it off right away” with Fox by Steve Kmetko on his Still Here Hollywood podcast, Thompson answered, “probably not because I was friends with Eric Stoltz, who had just gotten fired.” Thompson had previously worked with Stoltz on a movie called The
Wild Life before Back to the Future and then on Some Kind of Wonderful after. Back to the Future director Robert Zemeckis explained in 2015 that while Fox was his first choice for Marty McFly, Fox was unavailable due to scheduling conflicts, leading to the casting of Stoltz. Zemeckis made the decision to put Stoltz in the movie, but it turned out that his instincts and the type of comedy in the film weren’t really gelling. So when Fox did become available, Stoltz was fired, and Fox was hired. But it wasn’t so simple for Thompson as she had to navigate the transition and build chemistry with Fox after working closely with Stoltz.
The actress Lea Thompson recollected her initial snooty attitude towards Michael J. Fox due to the perceived division between movie and TV stars. However, they eventually formed a great working dynamic, as evidenced by their successful collaboration in “Back to the Future” and subsequent reunions. Thompson praised Fox’s talent for physical comedy, and Fox reciprocated the admiration, attributing his performance to Thompson’s intense acting. Thompson also shared her career concerns after a film flop, but her friend Eric Stoltz helped her secure a role in “Some Kind of Wonderful,” which turned out to be a hit. Thompson maintains close relationships with both Fox and Stoltz.
