‘Back to Future’ Cast Sets Record Straight on Eric Stoltz Firing

When cast members from 1985’s Back to the Future reunited at the Hollywood Show in Burbank, California, on January 10, 2026, they weighed in on one of the internet’s favorite topics: the time Eric Stoltz spent on the film as the original Marty McFly.

Stoltz — who had previously starred in the hit 1985 film Mask with Cher — shot several weeks of footage for Back to the Future before director Robert Zemeckis and producer Steven Spielberg realized they wanted Michael J. Fox  to take the role in a more lighthearted direction. And according to cast members Donald Fullilove, Claudia Wells, and others, that might have been the right move — they recalled Stoltz using Method acting to tackle the role of Marty McFly, staying in character off-set, and otherwise bringing a seriousness to the role that didn’t quite mesh.