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Michael J. Fox shares details from the early days of his career and the challenges of balancing two iconic roles.
In his new memoir, “Future Boy,” the actor talks about the difficulty of balancing filming the third season of his hit sitcom “Family Ties” with 1985's “Back to the Future.”
“In the late winter and early spring of 1985, time literally spiraled out of control and took me with it,” he wrote. “For three long months, I was Alex, I was Marty, I was Mike. Those two were too many. In order to do my job, at least one of them had to go, and Mike was the odd one out.
“I'm Alex P. Keaton by day and Marty McFly by night. The 24-hour workday leaves me little time to be me, Mike Fox.”
Michael J. Fox makes 'Back to the Future' co-star feel like he 'had a high school boyfriend'
Michael J. Fox explained in his memoir Future Boy that filming Family Ties and Back to the Future simultaneously was challenging. (Getty Images)
Foxx detailed a typical week of filming the two projects. For example, I woke up at 7 a.m., received the script for “Family Ties”, and then rehearsed all day, ending at 6 p.m.
After rehearsals, Fox immediately headed to Universal Studios to continue filming late into the night, and he wrote that filming was not completed until 3 a.m. Despite a long night of filming, Fox got up again at 7 a.m. the next morning.
“For three long months, I was Alex, I was Marty, and I was Mike. Those two were too many. In order to do my job, at least one of them had to go, and Mike was the odd one out.”
“By 3:00 a.m. I was passed out in the backseat of the station wagon,” he wrote. “My truck driver literally took me to my apartment and put me on the bed with my alarm set for four hours of sleep.”
Foxx rose to fame playing Alex Keaton, the conservative son of two liberal parents, on “Family Ties” from 1982 to 1989. The series also stars Justine Bateman, Tina Yothers, Meredith Baxter and Michael Gross.
“Family Ties” also stars Tina Yoses, Justin Bateman, Meredith Baxter and Michael Gross. (Herb Ball/NBCU Photo Library/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)
He gained even more fame when Back to the Future and its subsequent sequels were released.
Fox wrote that while he struggled to juggle both roles, it was “business as usual” for the rest of the Family Ties cast.
He wrote, “I recently asked Justin Bateman about our work together during that period. 'What's remarkable,' she recalled, 'is that I didn't notice anything. I know you were doing the movie, but I just remember being confused about when to go to sleep. You do the math – I don't know, he was up there all day at night and then came here. I didn't understand where the sleep was. I felt like, well, if anyone can do this kind of thing, it's Mike.'”
What Fox didn't know was that a lot of people were paying attention to him during the filming of Back to the Future.
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When he spoke with the film's assistant director David McGiffert about the book, he learned that AD “had to go against Bob” after discovering that director Bob Zemeckis had prepared a dangerous stunt for Fox.
Michael J. Fox was filming Back to the Future at the same time as Family Times. (Global/Getty Images)
“He wanted you to stand on the skateboard in front of the car and it would propel you,” McGiffert said in the book. “He had a certain angle in mind that it only works if you do it yourself, so he said, 'Yeah, I want Michael to do it.'” I shook my head. “Bob, he can't do that. You can't put your protagonist in that position. I know the chances are slim, but if he falls under the bus, it's over instantly.”
McGiffert said he insisted on having Fox perform the stunt despite Zemeckis's objections. It was only after McGiffert threatened to “write 'First Advertising Protest' on slate” that Zemeckis changed his mind and allowed a stunt double to film.
The dangerous stunts don't end there. Fox previously revealed the stunts that went wrong on the set of “Back to the Future III” in his first book, “The Lucky Man: A Memoir.” In the stunt, Foxx was dragged through the streets by horses before Christopher Lloyd's character arrived to save him.
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“This worked well for the next few takes,” Fox wrote, “but on the third take I miscalculated the position of my hands. The noose was put around my neck and hung from the gallows, and my carotid artery was blocked, causing me to briefly pass out.
Foxx recounted a dangerous stunt he performed while filming Back to the Future III. (Universal Pictures/Getty Images)
“I dangled unconsciously on the end of the rope for a few seconds, and then Bob Zemeckis (although he was a fan of mine) realized that I wasn't a good actor either.”
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Lori Bashian is an entertainment production associate at Fox News Digital.