Christopher Lloyd Reveals Why He and Michael J. Fox Didn’t Become Friends Until After BACK TO THE FUTURE

It’s hard to imagine Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd as anything other than good friends. Their chemistry as Marty McFly and Doc Brown helped make Back to the Future one of the most beloved sci-fi franchises of all time. But surprisingly, the two actors barely got to know each other while making the original 1985 film.

In his memoir, In My Own Time, Lloyd opened up about his early relationship with Fox and explained why their real-life friendship took a little longer to develop than their on-screen partnership.

As it turns out, the two actors were simply at very different points in their lives, and Fox had an absolutely insane work schedule.

“We were separated by a generation in age,” Lloyd explained. Fox was also “busy doing essentially two jobs at once,” juggling his role as Marty McFly with his commitment to the hit sitcom Family Ties.

Fox's demanding schedule left little room for socializing. He was filming the television series during the day and working on Back to the Future at night, making it difficult for the actors to spend much time together outside their scenes.

There was also the added pressure of Fox joining a movie that was already several weeks into production. The filmmakers had originally cast Eric Stoltz as Marty McFly before deciding to replace him with Fox, who suddenly found himself stepping into a major Hollywood production that was already underway.

Lloyd recognized just how much pressure his young co-star was dealing with. “Now he was expected to come in quickly and help save the day. It must have been a very heavy burden for him.”

Despite those circumstances, Fox and Lloyd managed to create one of the great movie duos. Their performances made Marty and Doc's friendship feel completely natural, even though the actors themselves were still getting acquainted.

It wasn't until they reunited for Back to the Future Part II and Back to the Future Part III that their own friendship really started to take shape.

“It would take two more Back to the Future movies before Michael and I truly got to know each other and become friends.” He added, “But it would come.”

Their friendship has continued through fan conventions, public reunions, and their shared appreciation for the movies that made them such an iconic pair.