Michael J. Fox is reflecting on Back to the Future and why his casting resulted in actress Melora Hardin getting fired.
The 64-year-old actor wrote about his time on the iconic sci-fi film from director Robert Zemeckis in his new memoir Future Boy.
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As a kid, Michael‘s height made him an “easy target” for bullies. But in film, it made it easier for him to play younger roles as a teenager.
“But it turned against me as an adult, when I went up for romantic leads opposite taller actresses,” he said (via Entertainment Weekly).
Michael replaced Eric Stoltz in the lead role of Marty McFly after the film was already six weeks into production. Melora had already been cast as Marty’s girlfriend Jennifer Parker, but when Michael took over for Eric, she was suddenly too tall.
“Melora, several inches taller than me, was replaced in the movie after I took over as Marty. Initially, Bob Zemeckis thought perhaps the audience could look past our height difference, but when he quickly surveyed the female members of the crew, they assured him that the tall pretty girl in high school rarely picks the cute short guy,” Michael wrote.
“No one asked for my opinion, but I would have risen to Melora’s defense,” he added.
Melora would be replaced by Claudia Wells in the role, who was later replaced by Elisabeth Shue in the sequels.
Nowadays, the Texas native is best known for her work in The Office and in other projects like Monk, Transparent, and The Bold Type.
Source: justjared.com
