Saturday, December 31, 2011

Screen Junkies remember Eric Stoltz as Marty McFly

From an article: "8 Classic Characters That Were Almost Played By Someone Else" Screen Junkies mention the original selection of Tom Selleck as Indiana Jones

Marty McFly: Unlike many actors on this list, Michael J. Fox was the initial choice for the role that made him famous. Conflicts with his “Family Ties” shooting schedule nearly kept Fox out of “Back to the Future” and, for a time, he was replaced by Eric Stoltz. Fox returned to the role when Stoltz showed he wasn’t right for the part of a time traveling hero with his uber-serious approach. Producers worked with Fox’s TV schedule and the rest is history.




http://www.screenjunkies.com/movies/movie-lists/8-classic-characters-that-were-almost-played-by-someone-else/3/

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Check out the Future Pedia page for Eric Stoltz

Eric Stoltz is an American actor who was originally cast for the role of Marty McFly when production of Back to the Future began on November 26, 1984.

Among the scenes that were originally filmed with Stoltz were:

(with Christopher Lloyd) Doc's first time-travel experiment at the Twin Pines Mall
(with Crispin Glover, Tom Wilson, and others) Marty's first encounter with George, Biff, and Biff's gang at Lou's Cafe
(with Glover) The scene where Marty is hit by Sam Baines's car (in commentary with Bob Gale notes that this was the first scene shot when filming began).
(with Lea Thompson) Marty's first 1955 meeting with Lorraine (a still photo is featured on the DVD bonus feature, "The Making of the Trilogy")
(with Lloyd) The mind-reading scene
(with Lloyd) The 1.21 gigawatt conversation between Marty and Doc
(with Glover) Marty encouraging George to go into Lou's Cafe to ask out Lorraine. Parts of the scene were filmed from inside the cafe, with Lorraine, Betty and Babs in the foreground, and Marty and George seen through the window, a perspective not used when the scene was refilmed.
(with Glover) Marty describing to George the plan for the fake fight.
(with Lloyd) Marty and Doc arguing over the "Do Not Open Until 1985" note


In addition, a scene filmed with Stoltz, but not re-filmed with Fox, had Marty being held in detention with Mr. Strickland and escaping by setting off a fire alarm in an elaborate manner. The fourth draft of the screenplay, completed a month before shooting began, provided the script originally written for the scenes filmed with Stoltz. Besides the detention scene, Stoltz's Marty did not wear the down vest that would be mistaken for a life preserver, and drew attention instead for having green tennis shoes.

http://backtothefuture.wikia.com/wiki/Eric_Stoltz

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Nike's new "Back to the Future" sneakers

Back to the Future producer Frank Marshall set off a flurry of speculation today when he tweeted:

“Something big is coming soon. Can’t say anything yet. No one should know too much about their own destiny. #BTTF”


Great Scott! What could it be? A sequel? A remake? Luckily, it’s nothing quite so drastic as anything my imagination came up with, but something pretty neat nonetheless. Nike sounds ready to unveil the self-lacing sneakers they patented back in August 2010. Nike sent out an invitation to a very lucky few for an event tomorrow night that promises “an unveiling that could change the course of time.” The contents of the package also included the futuristic glasses Doc Brown sported in Back to the Future II as thinly veiled clue about what to expect. To confirm, Marshall followed up with a tweeted link to a new commercial titled “McFly’s Closet,” populated by hundreds of pairs of the shoes.




http://collider.com/back-to-the-future-sneakers-nike/113620/

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Interview on Zemekis decision to replace Eric Stoltz

The movie filmed for 3-5 weeks with Eric Stoltz as the star. According to screenwriter Bob Gale, "There was about 40 minutes worth of cut footage." Unfortunately, Eric Stoltz was simply miscast. "And he is intense, and he’s more of the method school of acting, and he’s a very internal actor, as opposed to a guy who has a lot of physicality to him." said, Bob Gale.

In an interview with BoxOfficeMojo Bob Gale explains, "Gale: Bob [Zemeckis] was cutting the movie as he shot it, and he said to [producer] Neil Canton and me, after he screened forty minutes of cut footage [with Stoltz as Marty]: "I think we've got a problem—I want you guys to look at it and tell me what you think." So we looked at it and said, yeah. Then he screened it for [producers] Frank Marshall and Kathy Kennedy and later Steven Spielberg and everybody agreed it just wasn't working. We had wanted Michael J. Fox to begin with but [Fox was committed to playing Alex P. Keaton on NBC's Family Ties]

BOM: Who made the call to Eric Stoltz?

Gale: Bob Z. He just sat Eric down in the trailer and gave him the bad news."

Which probably isn't the worst news you could hear in a trailer, but still. What's the worst you've heard?

Ms. Baxter Birney (The Mom) was back to work at Family Ties, and the more animated Michael J. Fox was brought in to replace Eric Stoltz. The Robert Zemeckis production went back in time and the 22-year old shot around Family Ties' schedule. The bold move paid off for all involved and Stoltz has no regrets (publicly). Though I bet he's a bit wary of trailers.

The major visual differences between the two Marty McFlys involve wardrobe. Stoltz's McFly tried to get by wearing two layers (T-Shirt & Jacket), which was obviously not enough, because Michael J. Fox's McFly stacks on four layers (T-Shirt, Long Sleeve Shirt, Jeans Jacket, Vest). The more layers you wear, the warmer your performance. Also, Michael J. Fox looks infinitely more confused than Eric Stoltz. Perhaps some day we'll get to see and hear Eric Stoltz's 40 min. serious interpretation of Back to the Future.

http://www.google.com/search?q=stoltz+back+future#sclient=psy&hl=en&source=hp&q=stoltz+back+future+2007&pbx=1&oq=stoltz+back+future+2007&aq=f&aqi=q-n1&aql=&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=25468l26599l0l26769l5l5l0l0l0l0l246l823l0.1.3l4l0&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.&fp=265f5e3edf2ec82b&biw=1366&bih=643

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Stoltz had beat out Johnny Depp for McFly role -makes list

Movie Holes list: 50 Original Casting Choices

With the rehabilitated curiosity – stemming from the footage that was recently released… albeit 25 years later! – in Eric Stoltz’s engagement as Marty McFly in “Back to the Future” pre-Michael J.Fox, and of course the big casting switcheroo on “The Hangover 2” (Mel Gibson swapped for Liam Neeson), thought it might be fun to take a look back at some of the could-have-been’s of the celluloid struggle.
The following list includes roles that some passed on, movies that an actor or actress was forced to pull out of for one reason or another (ultimately having to be replaced), and some, like Stoltz, that were vetoed either just before – or at the start of – a particular film’s shoot.

27. Back to the Future (1985) – Johnny Depp as ‘Marty McFly’
Before Eric Stoltz was cast as Lorraine and George’s boy, the producers issued a national casting call inviting all twenty-something actors (well, ones with an in-the-know agent) in to test for the role. One of the youngsters that came in to test for Marty was a then-unknown Johnny Depp. Depp had recently completed work on Wes Craven’s low-budget horror piece “A Nightmare on Elm Street” and thanks to the early buzz surrounding that film found that he was unexpectedly able to get a look-in for some of the juicier roles around town. Unfortunately for Depp, the “Future” gang didn’t think he was a good fit for the role of Marty. It’s then that Depp accepted the offer to front a new teen TV series called “21 Jump Street”.

Eric Stoltz says BTTF 'long time ago', helped his career

From the Moviehole, 2007

You’ve been directing?
Yeah, I have.
That’s great – getting behind the scenes there
I started a couple of years ago. It’s a lot of fun. I’ve been working on a short film called The Grand Design, starring Frances Conroy, about a mother and son looking for meaning in the world. It’s a lovely piece. I’m cutting it right now.
So are you hoping to get it into festivals and so on?
I don’t know… You know, I didn’t really have any plans for it at all. I just did it because it meant something to me. So even if no one sees it, or even just ten or twenty friends, it’s just been a joy to get involved with. Short films aren’t going to advance anyone’s career, after all. Unfortunately.
Were you always interested in directing?
No, not necessarily directing. I was always interested in filmmaking though. I produced four films over the last fifteen years or so. I started to realise that I enjoyed being with the crew, and seeing the behind the scenes stuff, and how the creation of the film is done more than I did sitting in my trailer being served cappuccino by attractive production assistants. Not that there’s anything wrong with that [Laughs]. What am I saying?! Now I think of it that might have been the wrong way to go.
Because on the next film, Pauly Shore will enter your trailer with a Milkshake
[Laughs] Yes, that’s an attractive production assistant.
So you just wanted to get more involved in the behind-the-scenes process?
Yeah. I had a wonderful A.D in the 80s, who I did a few films with, as a P.A, and then I started producing [my own]. I was always fascinated with the creativity and hierarchy of power on a film set – it’s like a mini society. And if you can navigate those waters, you can create something interesting – Or lousy, you never know. The first thing I directed was a movie for cable starring Mimi Rogers and Allison Mack, and then I did an episode of a show called Once and Again – which is sort of infamous because it was the episode where Mischa Barton kissed Evan Rachel Wood, I got to direct that…fraught, sexual moment [Laughs]. I also did an episode of Law and Order, and I did a short film two years ago called The Bulls with Chris Pine. I’m about to direct an episode of Boston Legal in November. So I’m sorta finding my legs – and of course, I have a few films that I’m trying to get off the ground.
Why acting?
I sort of stumbled into it really – I was more into music. I studied Piano for many years as a kid, and to earn money I would play for local productions, like the musicals in Santa Barbara. I remember being in the orchestra pit and looking up at the stage and realising that the actors seemed to be having a much better time than me. So I thought, I might as well try that – it looks like fun. I started doing plays, and by the time I went to college I had done 42 plays. It was just something that I enjoyed doing, I didn’t think I ever would make a living out of it. And there were times when I was barely able to make a living out of it. It’s not like today, where if you’re a teen star you have to do what your publicist says or any of that shit; you just did what you wanted to do. Very different times. Its interesting, I was asked on some film I did – might have been Rules of Attraction – by one of the young stars if I had any advice on [what they should do next]. I just said ‘do what you want to do, and do plays’. I got a blank and baffled look in return, and the response ‘What about a publicist?’ I was like ‘Don’t get one’. It was unheard of.
Tell me if I’m wrong, but I still think that if you’d done “Back to the Future” your career would have went in a totally different direction – and not necessarily a good one.
[Laughs] Oh yeah.
I just can’t see Quentin Tarantino being interested in Michael J.Fox for that role in “Pulp Fiction”, for instance.
We’ll, you never know, he’s a good actor.
I just think you got to do a lot more versatile roles by not playing Marty McFly
Yeah. You’re right.
You may have got more pigeonholed, and you would’ve been tied down for sequels too.
I would’ve been unable to walk down the street! It’s a whole different life. I was lucky in that way.
So tell me, is missing out on “Back to the Future” a sore spot though?
You know, it was twenty-something years ago and I rarely look back, if at all, but in retrospect, I think just getting through that difficult period helped me realise how freeing it really was. I went back to acting school, I moved to Europe, I did some plays in New York and I actually invested in [pause] my self in a way that was much healthier for me. If I had become a massive star, I don’t know if I wouldn’t have gone into therapy. On the other hand, I would’ve been exceedingly rich which would’ve been wonderful! [Laughs]
I don’t think anyone realised at the time that “Back to the Future” was going to be a huge hit though, did they?
No, no.
Michael J.Fox was on board first wasn’t he?
Yeah
And then they cast you, when they couldn’t get him, and then they did get him. So, you were just the bait dude. Bastards!
They were nice people…
Yeah, but here’s the thing, it didn’t seem to make a lot of difference to your career because you were off like a rocket and flat-out working again. You did so many films over that time – did you ever stop?
I love working.
So was it just a case of saying ‘yes, yes. Yes’ to everything that came along? Sort of like what De Niro did in the early 90s? – Though he lost out with that “We’re no Angels”, didn’t he? [Laughs]
You didn’t like We’re no Angels?
No, hated it.
I have to tell you, that was a fantastic script. I met on that film. I mean it was Mamet…I loved that script. It was hysterical. I’ve been sent fantastic scripts that have turned out to be bloody awful. And then, I’ve been sent scripts that I’d think ‘what the hell is this?’ and it would turn out great. There’s so many variables involved when you make a film. You don’t have any idea how they’re going to coalesce and turn out.
When did your association with Cameron Crowe start, was that “Fast Times at Ridgemont High”?
Fast Times, yeah. Yeah, that was the first time we met. 79? 80? It was a lot of fun. We had a good time. I remember that film as being more of a bonding highschool experience than my actual highschool was.
And Crowe promised you a role in every film since, didn’t he?
Yeah.
So you’ve done that?
No. The first one I wasn’t in, was because I was in Europe or something… Haven’t been in a lot of his recent ones.
You were the ‘keymaster’ in Say Anything though – That’s all that matters!
The Keymaster! [Laughs] I still have people come up to me at parties and hand me their keys.
Do you have a favourite of Crowe’s films?
That’s a tough question. I certainly have a soft spot for Say Anything, because not only was it his first, but also I got to work on it as a P.A. That was a wonderful experience. I have to say though, I’ve really enjoyed his last few -Elizabethtown, Almost Famous -, because I feel like I’m reading his journals. They’re much more difficult films, but I feel they’re much more personal and interesting.
Talking of personal and interesting, how was it playing Rocky Dennis in “Mask”? Challenging, I imagine?
I’ll say. I should’ve prefaced this entire interview by saying I’m notorious and actually very well liked for the fact that I have an awful memory. I just don’t remember things, and people adore that about me. I’m able to jettison negative experiences and most of my film past actually [Laughs]. I can remember certain scripts, but if you ask me about something from twenty years ago…
You’ve done so many films, though. I don’t see how you could remember everything!
Yeah, and I think I like to enjoy where I am right now. I’m not one of those guys that pulls out the yearbook and the old journals and says ‘Those were the days’. Maybe when I’m an old man that would be an enjoyable thing. I almost never even think about it.
So what’s your favourite film – which you’ve done?
Usually the last one I do – like the one I’m cutting now. Because I dream about it, and sort of breathe it…it’s like falling in love, that feeling of emersion and challenge.
One of my favourites is “Some kind of Wonderful”. How did that come about?
We just did the 20th anniversary DVD, so I have actually thought about that one recently. How did it come about? I think I was just sent the script.
I heard the character was written for you?
Really? I didn’t know that. I think I was just sent the script and met with the director, at that time – who was Martha Coolidge. It was an entirely different script [from the film you know] – it was almost a silent film, because Martha had this interesting idea of trying to make it as much of a non-verbal, non-jokey teen film as possible. Clearly, the powers that be didn’t go for that.
When did John Hughes come onboard?
He was always onboard, because he was the writer/producer, but as we get closer to shooting he replaced her because he didn’t like what was being done to his material. He fired Martha – and a lot of the cast. I stayed onboard – I don’t know how that happened – but even then, I think I barely stayed onboard. We had shot two or three weeks with my hair below-my-shoulders and I was very greasy and odd looking – because the guy was someone who wasn’t able to fit in, we thought that was a great way to go. Anyway, they shut down production. Someone at Paramount came down and said ‘We’re going to cut your hair, and clean up your act’. I said ‘But the role is a rebel who doesn’t fit in’. They said ‘You’re going to cut your hair, and we’ll clean you up’. I said ‘Oh, so this is how the world works’.
Is it true you suggested Lea Thompson for the role of Amanda Jones?
I did, yeah. After the purge of the cast, I brought her the script. She was lovely.
Thank god there was no “Back to the Future” for you man, because it would’ve been disgusting seeing you making-out with your mother on screen!
[Laughs] That would’ve been something. It’s a little weird anyway – the guy having his mother come onto him.
How much of “Back to the Future” did you actually do?
I think it was like three or four weeks. I would be curious to see it.
So you’ve never seen your stuff?
No.
I would’ve thought they might have put it on the DVDs or something
No. I don’t know why that was. They certainly don’t ask the actors.
Speaking of DVDs, I just watched “The Fly II: Special Edition”. That scene with the dog still gets me
That was a tough scene. It was all puppets. I haven’t seen that in years. I haven’t done that many horror films, they’re fun, in a disgusting way. That was a blast.
Did you look at Jeff Goldblum’s performance from the first film in prep?
Sure, yeah. I actually had dinner with Jeff – who was living with Geena Davis at the time – and they were wonderful, lovely people. I’m sure they still are. He’s a nice guy. He’s a lovely piano player too.
Do you have any skills like that?
I play Piano.
Ever do any composing for any films?
Just for the short film I did, the Bulls. I did some of the music for it, but only out of necessity because I couldn’t afford recordings. It was fun. I rented a little studio in New York, and played the piano.
I admire the way you’ve worn many hats.
I think that’s the way of the future. There’s that great documentary on Coppola, about the making of Apocalypse Now, called Hearts of Darkness, where he says ‘The next Mozart is going to be a fourteen, fifteen year-old girl in Ohio’. I really think there’s something to be said for that. I always love looking at short films that people send me – I think they’re much more interesting than film school stuff. Untrained. Passionate. People like Tarantino and Avary. There’s something behind it that’s not very prefab…that’s not very slick.
How did Tarantino find you for “Pulp Fiction”?
I knew Quentin from the Sundance Festival – we were both there in ‘92 or ‘93. He was there with Reservoir Dogs, and I was there with Waterdance, and they were sort of the two films in competition. We met and became friends, and stayed in touch. Later, I was walking down 6th Avenue and bumped into him again.
Tell us about the meeting
It was a sunny spring day – cos it was cold, but it was sunny – and it was early in the morning, like 9-9:30, and I looked across the street and from about half-a-mile away I saw this limbering figure – sort of walking like a madman – coming towards me. I’d only ever seen two people walk like madmen at this time of the morning – I saw Chris Walken walking towards me at 6am once. Anyway, I saw this giant red watch, from some comic book or something – and I knew then, that it had to be Quentin. I walked across the street, and he was like ‘Hey man, I was just thinking about you – I’ve got this script I want to give you’. I was like ‘Here I am’. He was staying with another director at the time. It was Roger Avary. Anyway, Quentin gave me the script for Killing Zoe.
And when did you meet Roger?
Later. I met with Roger at a midtown restaurant in New York. After Killing Zoe, I produced a film called Sleep with Me and I hired Quentin as an actor. Quentin came down, and I think that’s when he gave me the Pulp Fiction script.
How was it being involved in “Pulp Fiction”?
That was a blast! We had two weeks of rehearsal on the sets, which is very rare – it was a low-budget film, about $8 million at the time, so we had to really have our act together. We would go out and eat together, and it was lovely. A lovely bunch of people. It was so much fun – and I think that comes across in the film. Fast Times had a similar vibe. When you’re doing something challenging and fun and everybody is in it for the right reasons it doesn’t really matter whether it’s a hit or not. The experience stays with you. Whenever I see anything from Pulp Fiction, a wonderful feeling just comes over me. Very good times.
How was it working with Travolta?
He was hysterical. Silly guy.
Stephen Tobolowsky – who just did “Wild Hogs” with him – was telling me the same. He said ‘he’s funnier offset than he is on’
He’s hysterical – he does these little voices, he’s always dancing, teasing, and telling stories. He’s just a very wonderful fella.
“Killing Zoe” came after, right?
We shot it first, but it was released second.
Was that filmed in Paris?
I wish. It was all in Los Angeles, with one day in Paris. Roger had a miniscule amount of money, and he found this bank that was going out of business in downtown LA and I think he wrote the heist film around that location so that he could make his film. Incredibly creative guy. He and Quentin are really connected in a deeply, creative way.
I caught up with Peter Berg recently – your co-star on “Chicago Hope” – and typically forthright Berg was telling me how he couldn’t wait to give off that show.
He was on there forever. And now, of course, he’s doing another series.
Yep, “Friday Night Lights” – that’s his thing…his baby. It’s different I guess, because he’s now calling the shots. How did you feel about doing “Chicago Hope” after doing film for so long?
You know, I loved it. I only signed on for one year, so I didn’t feel that it was going to be the rest of my life. I had a great time. I love the cast and the crew – I’m still friends with most of them.
My wife loved “Chicago Hope” – but she didn’t catch it first time around, she only started watching it in repeats, which were on like two years back. I’d have to record it for her every day. I told her I was getting up to meet you this morning, and she was – in half-asleep voice – ‘Bobby’?
That’s hysterical [Laughs]
You were the ladies man on that show.
Was I really?
Yeah. I always found that kind of surprising.
I thought I was like the sort of new-age doctor.
Yeah, but you were flirting it up with the docs, like Christine Lahti’s character – who went ga-ga for you early on.
Oh god, that’s right! That was a lot of fun.
How is TV different than working on films?
Scheduling is much quicker but, more so, you get more of a chance to flesh out your character. I did 20 episodes or so of the show in a year, and you feel like you’ve had 20 opportunities to expand your character. That’s entirely different to a film, or a play, where you’ve got to do the entire story and character in an hour-and-a-half of two-hours. Knowing that you’ve got all that time with TV, you’re really able to invest a lot of detail in it, which is a lot of fun.
Why only a year?
I didn’t think I had the strength to do the character for any more than a year. I think the longest thing I’d ever done was a play that ran for nine months – and I started losing my mind. It takes a great deal of fortitude and concentration to be the lead of a television show for years and years. Its really hard work, and I didn’t know whether I could hack it.
I loved your final episode, where Mandy Patinkin comes back and fires everyone.
That’s right! That was hysterical. God he’s a funny man, Mandy. It was a big shock. I loved the way he also put everyone down, in addition to firing them, in that episode. It was very funny.
The show only lasted another twelve months after that. I guess the plan was to shake things up, by getting rid of the cast and bringing in some new blood, but it didn’t work.
I think David E.Kelley does that with his shows.
It worked for “The Practice” obviously, which is now “Boston Legal”.
Yeah, it did!
And you’re directing an episode, you said?
Yeah I am. November. I met William Shatner last week, or the week before. He’s an interesting bloke.
Can you believe the comeback he’s had from this show?
He’s pretty happy. What’s interesting is that – and I think few people know this – he use to do Shakespeare, up in Canada. That’s always a good basis for any career.
It’s great that he’s been able to find another character that people love him in just as much as Kirk.
He’s fantastic in it too. He really is.
Who is going to be guest starring on your episode?
They don’t tell the director whose going to be on. We don’t have scripts or anything – not yet. Probably won’t until the week before we start.
Then you’ll go wow ‘Wow, Pauly Shore!’
[Laughs] Pauly Shore!
You did guest-spots on shows. I recall you on “Mad About You”
I think I did one a year- maybe two a year. That’s because of Helen Hunt.
You dated her, right?
Dated her? No.
Must’ve been Paul Reiser you dated?
[Laughs] Paul Reiser. He’s a funny guy; he would’ve loved that joke. No, Paul and I didn’t date, although Paul’s wife is lovely. No, Helen and I did a play and later, a film together – The Waterdance – and she just called and asked whether I’d be on her show.
I was talking to James Van Der Beek the other day about “Rules of Attraction”…
…He’s a sweet guy. He was terrific in it. I’m sure he’ll get something just as good soon.
I think people just need to see past ‘Dawson’ and see that he can do other stuff
It’s interesting, I never saw Dawson’s Creek, so I was able to just sort of accept him in that role.
Did you enjoy “Rules”?
It was a blast. It was a lot of fun. It was a wonderful collection of freaks – Roger was like a circus master. It was a great time. I think Roger and Robert [Brinkmann] should make a series of films about anarchy and the disruption of our society. They should be in charge of the dismantling of western society. We should just hand it over to them.
In more recent years, you did “The Butterfly Effect”…
…Oh yeah, sure. That was a fun role. Everybody’s a bit of a bastard so it was a nice to be able to act like one and get paid for it. They were a fun bunch of people – Jonathan [Mackye Gruber] and Eric [Bress], wow, they’re maniacs! They are maniacs! Clearly, I’m drawn to maniacal directors. I can appreciate the passion behind it.
The last two films you’ve been in were “The Triangle” and “The Honeymooners”, can you tell me about those?
The Triangle was a lot of fun. The director, Craig Baxley, was hysterical. It was interesting doing all that green-screen – because I’d never done that much of it. I later used it in my short. It was nice having Dean Devlin down there and Bryan Singer’s people…Bryan never showed up because he was doing Superman. I enjoy the ol’ sci-fi horror film. It’s a genre I really do enjoy.
And “The Honeymooners”? – Which didn’t come out in Australia
It didn’t? That’s a shame. We should all go down and act it out for you at the Sydney Opera House [Laughs]. Ya know, I think it turned out pretty good. I had a great time making it, anyway – we shot it in Ireland – it’s just not the Honeymooners that people wanted. Jackie Gleason and all that.
- CLINT MORRIS

http://www.moviehole.net/200718530-exclusive-interview-eric-stoltz

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Zemekis talking Eric Stoltz in "Back to the Future" VIDEO

Back to the Future: 25th Anniversary Trilogy Blu-ray will be released on October 26, 2010. The Hollywood Reporter has our first look at one of the special features included on this release, which offers, for the first time ever, footage of Eric Stoltz as Marty McFly. Eric Stoltz was originally cast as the lead in Robert Zemeckis' classic time travel adventure-comedy, and he embodied the now-classic role of Marty McFly for five weeks before being replaced by Michael J. Fox. Both producer Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis made this drastic and unheard of decision because they felt the actor had a different comedic approach to the material that was written, and that he didn't have the right comedic timing for this particular character.

Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wudNasQbv0

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Eric Stoltz as Marty McFly YouTube clip

Back to the Future: 25th Anniversary Trilogy Blu-ray will be released on October 26. The Hollywood Reporter has our first look at one of the special features included on this release, which offers, for the first time ever, footage of Eric Stoltz as Marty McFly. Eric Stoltz was originally cast as the lead in Robert Zemeckis' classic time travel adventure-comedy, and he embodied the now-classic role of Marty McFly for five weeks before being replaced by Michael J. Fox. Both producer Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis made this drastic and unheard of decision because they felt the actor had a different comedic approach to the material that was written, and that he didn't have the right comedic timing for this particular character.

Check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wudNasQbv0

The embed code has been disabled.

This one is working for now

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Eric Stoltz talks about Marty McFly, 'Back to the Future'

By Monika Bartyzel - Moviefone  October 2010


A week ago, we finally got the opportunity to see some footage of Eric Stoltz as Marty McFly in 'Back to the Future.' You know the story, right? Michael J. Fox wasn't the original Marty; it was Stoltz. In fact, Eric had actually done weeks of shooting before the higher-ups came to the painful decision that he wasn't right for the role. Stoltz's work was scuttled, Michael J. Fox took over, everything was reshot and the time-travel movie became one of the most beloved classics of the 1980s.

Having finally seen some of Stoltz's footage, the masses are once again wondering what the redheaded actor thinks about the experience -- which you can check out for yourself after the jump.

Moviehole offers up some of Stoltz's thoughts on his work in 'Back to the Future,' but they're not actually recent comments. The interview is from back in 2007, and when asked about whether missing out on the film was a sore spot, the actor demurred, saying:

"You know, it was twenty-something years ago and I rarely look back, if at all; but in retrospect, I think just getting through that difficult period helped me realize how freeing it really was. I went back to acting school, I moved to Europe, I did some plays in New York and I actually invested in [pause] myself in a way that was much healthier for me. If I had become a massive star, I don't know if I wouldn't have gone into therapy. On the other hand, I would've been exceedingly rich which would've been wonderful!"

It's hard not to agree with him. If 'BTTF' had been a success with Stoltz, would his career have been the same? There's little chance he'd have been romancing Lea Thompson for 'Some Kind of Wonderful' if we were already associated her with being his mom. Would Stoltz have been too successful to take on great indie fare like 'Killing Zoe,' 'Pulp Fiction,' 'Kicking & Screaming' or 'Rules of Attraction'? Seems likely.

Back 2007, he hadn't gotten the chance to see any footage of his performance, but was "curious to see it." We don't know if Stoltz has seen this little nugget of footage yet, but with the actor currently working on 'Caprica,' and 'BTTF' fervor increasing as we nudge closer to the Blu-ray release, we're sure to hear more from Stoltz about playing good ol' Marty McFly.

Saturday, June 25, 2011

2 more pics of Eric Stoltz as Marty McFly

 This is a couple more shots of Eric Stoltz in his brief time as Marty McFly. The first is a real deal behind the scenes shot of Stoltz and Lea Thompson


 I’m a big fan of Eric Stoltz, but I don’t think anybody can deny that Michael J. Fox is the perfect fit for Marty. I once asked Stoltz about it, back before the new Blu-Rays (and even the DVDs) when there wasn’t much talk out there about all this and he was very diplomatic and said that the producers liked him, but he wasn’t a right fit for what they wanted. He said he has accepted it and moved on, but it was quite crushing at the time, naturally. - http://www.aintitcool.com/node/49872

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Eric Stoltz "Back to the Future" - production begins

Production started on November 26, 1984 and by Christmas, Spielberg had declared Stoltz wrong for the comedy.

Steven Spielberg, says that Zemeckis checked with him before making the switch.

“[Zemeckis] showed me the first five weeks of shooting that he had put together, aAnd he said, ‘I just don’t think we’re getting the laughs I was hoping we would get.’ ”

Spielberg feels the decision “was absolutely correct.”


Eric Stoltz in “Back to the Future”

This summer we celebrated the 25th anniversary of “Back to the Future” and even though it’s months later, I felt it interesting to reflect on what could have been…or rather, what would not have been.

As most “Back to the Future” fans know, Eric Stoltz was cast in the role of Marty McFly for 6 weeks of filming before Robert Zemeckis and Steven Spielberg deemed him “too intense” for the role and let him go.

Thanks to Gary David Goldberg, the BTTF was then able to get Michael J. Fox, their first choice for Marty. Fox had at first been unable to play the role, due to a scheduling conflict with his TV series “Family Ties” but now Goldberg allowed him to juggle the two projects, and the rest is history! For a while, this picture was one of the ones in existence of Stoltz as Marty McFly.

Interesting Note: The costume that Eric Stoltz is wearing was described as Marty’s 1985 outfit in the novelization of Back to the Future by George Gipe. A T-shirt with a U.S. Patent Office facsimile on it [of a guitar], and green [Converse] shoes.