FUTURE BOY

Future Boy: Back to the Future and My Journey Through the Space-Time Continuum by Michael J. Fox and Nelle Fortenberry, 2025, 159 pgs. 

I don't read celeb autobios but this one crossed my path and I was looking for a quick book to read before the end of the year--I breezed through this in a weekend. This was a fun read, chronicling Fox's quick ascension to stardom in the early 80s, via his first TV role on the hit series Family Ties. Fox was hungry for work (like most starving actors) and would do anything he could to snag a role. Through the book we learn that the original script for BTTF was written with Fox in mind, but because of his grueling TV schedule, the producers of the sitcom would not give him time to do it. The producers then booked Eric Stoltz, fresh off his role in Mask opposite Cher. Stoltz brought a seriousness and a depth to role of Marty McFly that was not warranted. As they kept filming, realization set in that they were in trouble and needed Fox after all. So the producers worked out a deal that Fox could film his BTTF scenes at night and still work on Family Ties during the day. Fox was eager for more work and break into film and saw this as his chance, so for 4 months he slept maybe 4-5 hours a night, all between filming the show and the movie. It was interesting to learn that crew had to go back and reshoot tons of scenes they'd already done with Stoltz--only this time, Fox was playing for laughs. He saw this thing as a screwball comedy, which it clearly became. Lots of great movie trivia here for a classic film.