This past weekend, Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd took another grand voyage into the past.
At the New York Comic-Con on Sunday, 37 years after the release of the iconic Robert Zemeckis movie, the Back to the Future performers came together on stage once more. Since joining together with fellow cast members on Josh Gad's viral YouTube series, Reunited Apart, back in 2020, it was their first get-together.
Fox, 61, and Lloyd, 83, utilised the occasion to reflect on their first meeting, which occurred after Fox took over Eric Stoltz's part as Marty McFly a few weeks after production had began.
After six weeks of filming, it was announced at one in the morning that the actor who played Marty would no longer be portraying Marty and that we would begin filming with Michael the following day. "I felt like I had just just gotten through the first six weeks and now I would have to go through it all over again. As they say, there was instant chemistry."
Fox enthused about working with his old pal on the three-film series, saying that when it came to acting alongside Lloyd, "all I had to do was respond." At one point, Fox had to "watch his a—" due to how great his costar was.
"Just let it wash over me while I soak it all in. I considered him to be brilliant "stated Fox. "Being with Chris, letting him be Chris, and enjoying it was the whole point. It was exciting. Every time I started working with him, I could always count on a pleasant day."
The movie, which cost $19 million to produce, ended up grossing $388.8 million at the box office. Back to the Future II cost twice as much to make as its predecessor when it was finally released in 1989, earning $332.9 million at the box office.
They also discussed their opinions about Back to the Future: The Musical and their friendship off-screen, particularly Lloyd's place in Fox's life ever since he revealed his Parkinson's diagnosis in 1991. The two actors undoubtedly offered some exclusive information from the filming of the films.
"Parkinson's disease is a gift that just keeps giving. I wouldn't trade it for anything, but it's a gift "stated Fox. "Chris and so many of you have been there for me on numerous occasions. It's not about what I have; it's about what I have been given, which is the ability to speak up and assist others."
Fox also talked on finding "something to be grateful for" despite suffering some injuries this year during the Comic-Con panel. He also paid tribute to his late mother Phyllis, who he shared passed away on September 24 at the age of 92, just two weeks before the convention.
Fox made fun of his mother, who warned him that doing Back to the Future while working on Family Ties for TV would leave him "too exhausted," saying, "To this day, well, until two weeks ago, she thought it was a pretty poor idea for me to do Back to the Future."
Fox jokingly said, "She enjoyed the movie, [but she was right]." "I'm worn out!"
