Michael J. Fox opens up about his career-defining roles in new book ‘Future Boy’

Michael J. Fox is recalling the time in his career when he booked the two roles that many know him for now.

In his new book, Future Boy, Fox tells the story about when he starred in the television sitcom Family Ties and the blockbuster film Back to the Future at the same time.

“It was an amazing time,” Fox told Good Morning America co-host George Stephanopoulos.

Fox’s three-month journey of starring in both projects almost didn’t happen because the creator of Family Ties didn’t want to risk losing him. At the time, actor Eric Stoltz was cast as the iconic role of Marty McFly, but director Steven Spielberg wanted Fox as the lead in his film, which would go on to become a trilogy.

“They were shooting with another actor and it hadn’t been what they wanted it to be,” Fox said. “So they were coming at me again and he (the Family Ties creator) said, ‘I’m gonna let you do it, but you’re gonna have to do the show in the daytime, the movie at night. And I don’t want to hear about the movie.'”

Fox added that he was told that the show’s creator didn’t want Fox to make up any excuses, either, if he couldn’t handle juggling both jobs.

Nevertheless, the Family Ties creator said, “Read the script and if you think it’s OK with the script, you should.”

“It was in my hand,” Fox said and recalled that the show creator said the script was “the best script I ever read.”

For Fox, that was enough to convince him to take on the role of Marty. “I was completely doin’ it,” he said.

By day, Fox worked on the set of Family Ties, and by night, he would film Back to the Future.

The actor added that there were times on the set of Family Ties when it would be what he described as a “blur.”

Future Boy will be available on Oct. 14 and is available now for preorder wherever books are sold.

 

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