Michael J. Fox recalls ‘20-hour days’ that nearly broke him filming 'Back to the Future' and 'Family Ties'

Michael J. Fox Reveals the Demanding Experience of Filming 'Back to the Future' and 'Family Ties'

The actor, known for his iconic roles in the sci-fi trilogy and sitcom, shared a harrowing account of balancing his dual commitments during an exclusive interview.

Fox described the period as "three long months" where he struggled to juggle two personas - Alex P. Keaton from 'Family Ties' and Marty McFly from 'Back to the Future'. According to Fox, it was impossible for him to maintain a single identity, with his body switching between the roles on an hourly basis.

He recalled that one day would be spent rehearsing lines as Alex, only to find himself transformed into Marty by nightfall. The actor acknowledged that this constant change came at the cost of his own identity and left little room for self-expression or personal life.

"My teamster driver practically carries me into my apartment and deposits me in my bed," he wrote about his exhausting routine. "My alarm set for four hours of sleep."

During this time, Fox found himself struggling to maintain relationships with those around him, including a stuntman who was initially hesitant about the safety of performing stunts involving the actor.

Fox even mentioned that director Bob Zemeckis was so keen on having Michael J. Fox perform a particularly perilous stunt in 'Back to the Future' that he refused to consider any alternatives.

However, it wasn't until his assistant threatened to leave the project if the situation didn't change that Zemeckis agreed to let someone else do the stunts, thus saving Fox's life and preventing possible injury.

I'm still amazed how much he had to put himself through for those iconic roles . Three long months without a break? That's insane. I can imagine how hard it must have been to switch between two characters daily. The stunts they filmed him doing would be too crazy even for me . Glad his assistant stepped in and saved the day, that stunt could've been super sketchy .

omg u can believe michael j fox struggled so much with playing alex & marty at the same time lol i mean who wouldnt want to play a time-traveling dude & a rich kid from the 80s all at once? but seriously, it sounds like he had to sacrifice his own life for the role which is wild. i'm just glad everything turned out okay and no one got hurt... thats just crazy!

omg this is crazy did u know that Michael J. Fox had to sleep only 4 hours of sleep per night during filming? his team would practically carry him to bed lol! anyway check out these stats on how exhausting acting can be:

* Actors like Michael J. Fox work an average of 12-14 hour days
* The film industry loses around $1 billion annually due to actor exhaustion and burnout
* A study found that actors who sleep less than 6 hours per night have a higher risk of depression and anxiety disorders

and btw, did u know that 'Back to the Future' grossed over $331 million worldwide?

omg u guys cant even imagine how crazy it must've been for MJF to juggle those two iconic roles lol like 3 months of nonstop switching between alex & marty would be literally exhausting i mean idk how he did it, but that's some serious method acting right there. and can u believe zemeckis was gonna force fox to do the stunt himself? talk about crazy talk anyway glad the stuntman spoke up for foxs safety, that's def a good lesson learned

[Image of a person being physically dragged into a bed by a driver ]

omg what kinda deal is this? three months straight as Alex & Marty?! his body switching roles every hour tho that's like me trying to be both a pizza and a ice cream at the same time... not. possible. [GIF of someone facepalming]

OMG I'm SHOOK by how intense MJF's experience was on set ! Did you know he had to go through 3 long months without a break? That's like filming an entire season of 'Family Ties' back-to-back with minimal rest. And can you believe his body literally switched between Alex and Marty every hour?! It's no wonder he struggled to maintain relationships outside of work - like, how would you even explain that to your friends? His team had to practically carry him into bed at night . Meanwhile, Bob Zemeckis was super strict about the stunts in 'Back to the Future'... it's crazy to think he almost put MJF in harm's way! Thankfully, his assistant stepped in and saved the day (literally). I'm so glad that project ended without any major casualties.

omg i can imagine how stressful it must've been for michael j fox to juggle those two iconic roles like, how do you even separate alex p keaton from marty mcfly's energy? and poor guy was literally exhausted, only getting 4 hours of sleep a day i feel bad for him not being able to maintain personal life or express himself outside of those characters at least his assistant stepped in when it got too much, that stunt could've been super dodgy if zemeckis hadnt listened

I can imagine how intense it must've been for Michael J. Fox to switch between those two iconic roles every hour . It's crazy to think about how much his body had to adapt just to keep up with the demands of filming these movies. I mean, who would've thought that playing a rich kid from 'Family Ties' and a time-traveling dude from 'Back to the Future' could be so physically demanding? It's also interesting to see how his team and directors had to step in to ensure his safety, like that stuntman and Bob Zemeckis refusing to budge on having someone else do stunts . Talk about dedication to the craft!