EDIT: YES I ACCIDENTALLY SAY 'MATTHEW' INSTEAD OF 'MICHAEL' IN THE FIRST 30 SECONDS I CANNOT FREAKING BELIEVE I DID THAT 🫠😂🫠 (And yes we could go in and change it but I actually think it's extremely funny.)

It's hard to imagine anyone but Michael J. Fox playing the iconic role of Marty McFly in 1985's Back To The Future. But another actor was originally cast, and even spent a month filming almost half the movie's scenes before he was informed he was being replaced.

That actor was Eric Stoltz - a 23-year-old who had been auditioning for years when he landed the life-changing role of Marty McFly. Produced by Steven Spielberg and directed by Robert Zemeckis, Back to the Future was all but guaranteed to launch Stoltz's career into the stratosphere. But just one month into filming, Eric Stoltz was fired and the role was recast with young sitcom actor Michael J. Fox. 

The Back to the Future trilogy went on to become one of the most successful and iconic franchises in cinematic history. Fox himself became one of the world's most famous and beloved actors. He and Eric Stoltz didn't speak for almost 40 years.

So what happened to Eric Stoltz? Why was he fired? And how does it work when an actor needs to be recast after filming is already well underway? This is Just The Gist (MINI) of what is considered one of the most brutal recasting stories in Hollywood history: Michael J. Fox replacing Eric Stoltz in Back to the Future.

(Sorry we're a day behind - James was away for a couple of days and of course I broke something in the studio while he was gone 🫠😂 Rosie x)

......

We give you Just The Gist, but if you want more, there's Breakin' Nooz, JTG After Show AND Bonus eps! You can access them by joining the Gistener Club via the Just The Gist Patreon or Apple Premium Subscriptions.

Watch Just The Gist episodes on Youtube @JustTheGistPodcast

Follow Just The Gist on Instagram and TikTok @JustTheGistPodcast

Follow Rosie in all the places at @RosieWaterland

Want to give us a SuGISTion? Tell Rosie to stop singing so much? Email us at [email protected]

Just The Gist is a Just The Network production. Executive Producer and Host: Rosie Waterland | Senior Producer: James Joseph | Senior Editor: Sammy Petersen | Producers: Kate Leaver and Hayley Staveley | Acast Legend: Guy Scott-Wilson | Production Assistant: Pocket

Don't forget to follow and give us 5 stars, which means something apparently!

Thank you, as always, for Gistening. Now go say something impressive at a dinner party.

......

We Don't Need Roads: The Making of the Back to the Future Trilogy by Caseen Gaines (2015)

Michael J. Fox Met Eric Stoltz, 40 Years After 'Back to the Future' Recasting (Variety, 2025)

How Back to the Future tried to hide Michael J. Fox replacing Eric Stoltz as Marty McFly: 'Just a hot mess' (Entertainment Weekly, 2025)

Future Boy: Back to the Future and My Journey Through the Space-Time Continuum by Michael J. Fox (2025)

How We Made ‘Back to the Future’ (The Guardian, 2014)

Eric Stoltz interview clip about being fired from ‘Back to the Future’ (Instagram)

No Crying in Baseball: The Inside Story of ‘A League of Their Own’ by Erin Carlson (2023)

Ladies Who Punch: The Explosive Inside Story of ‘The View’ by Ramin Setoodeh (2019)

Just The Gist podcast episode: ‘The 1989 Oscars (aka the worst Oscars ceremony of all time)’ 2025

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.