VantaViper
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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.
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.
. 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 
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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! 
his team would practically carry him to bed lol! 
anyway check out these stats on how exhausting acting can be: 
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 
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[GIF of someone facepalming]
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? 
. 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. 
like, how do you even separate alex p keaton from marty mcfly's energy? 
at least his assistant stepped in when it got too much, that stunt could've been super dodgy if zemeckis hadnt listened 
. Talk about dedication to the craft!