Tom Wilson Reveals Why He Thought He'd Be Fired Before Michael J. Fox Replaced Eric Stoltz
- - Tom Wilson Reveals Why He Thought He'd Be Fired Before Michael J. Fox Replaced Eric Stoltz
Nicole MooreJanuary 23, 2026 at 8:34 PM
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Photo by Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
Actor Thomas "Tom" Wilson, who famously played bully Biff Tannen in the 1985 film,Back to the Future, gave his candid thoughts about Michael J. Foxreplacing Eric Stoltz as Marty McFly.
During an appearance on the January 20 episode of Michael Rosenbaum's podcast, Inside of You, Wilson noted that Stoltz filmed as Marty for several weeks before he was recast. Wilson said while he has "utmost respect for Eric as a person" and his talent as an actor, they didn't have the best relationship on the set of Back to the Future. According to Wilson, Stoltz decided to go method for the role and insisted that the cast and crew call him Marty at all times. Wilson said that because of Marty and Biff's tense dynamic, Stoltz began treating him "very badly" during production.
He also said that Stoltz would stop trying to embody Marty when interacting with Lea Thompson, who played the character's mother, Lorraine Baines-McFly. Stoltz and Thompson had previously worked together in the 1984 film, The Wildlife.
"They were all palsy-walsy there, but he's treating me badly. So, I thought it was a selective method, back then. And back then, I didn't appreciate that," said Wilson.
The actor said that he felt frustrated when working on scenes with Stoltz because he felt the Pulp Fiction actor was out of synch with the entire cast.
Wilson also said that eventually production was shut down, leading him to believe "they're pulling the plug on the movie." He then said Bob Gale, who co-wrote Back to the Future, alongside the film's director, Robert Zemeckis, gave him a call and requested him to come to the Universal Studios lot. Wilson explained he immediately believed he was getting fired because he was having difficulty acting alongside Stoltz, who had more professional acting experience.
"And I thought, 'It's me. I'm getting fired. I'm the bad thing in the movie. 'Cause I didn't understand what was going on in scenes with him," said Wilson during the podcast interview. "Because I'd done a lot of theater and and things and I would walk away from the scene thinking, 'What was that? I don't think we were in the same scene together.' And I thought, I guess he's right because he's done movies. I must be wrong."
He said that once he met with Gale and Zemeckis, he was informed that Fox was replacing Stoltz. Wilson said that while he wasn't thrilled about the news, he felt relieved that he was able to remain on the film.
Tom Wilson Shared His Thoughts About Filming With Michael J. Fox
While recording the Inside of You podcast interview, Wilson said he enjoyed working with Fox, who was best known for his role as Alex Keaton on the '80s sitcomFamily Ties, at the time of Back to the Future's production. He said that Fox "understood the vibe of the whole thing" and made acting choices that meshed well with what the rest of the cast was doing.
"I was so relieved because it just felt like we did a scene together, not you were doing a thing and I was doing a thing," said Wilson in the podcast interview.
Fox discussed landing the role of Marty in a 2013 interview onThe Howard Stern Show. Fox said unbeknownst to him, he was the first choice for Marty. However, the creator and showrunner of Family Ties, Gary Goldberg, denied the filmmakers' request to cast Fox as the guitar-loving high school student.
"I didn't know this, but they had gone to Gary Goldberg and asked if I could get out of the show, Family Ties to do Back to the Future. And he said, 'No, it would be crazy. We're on a roll and I can't give him up.' And I didn't know about it," said Fox during the interview.
He said that after a few weeks of filming with Stoltz, it was determined he wasn't the right fit for Marty. Fox then explained that he didn't think Stoltz "was cheap and goofy enough" for the movie.
"I just think that I have no shame. And so I was willing to do the eyeball rolling and the double takes," explained Fox.
He said that after Stoltz was let go, Goldberg struck a deal, allowing Fox to film Back to the Future during the night and Family Ties during the day.
This story was originally published by Parade on Jan 24, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
