Michael J. Fox Talks 'Back To The Future' As Film Celebrates 30th Anniversary At London Comic-Con
Michael J Fox joined his fellow Back To The Future cast members in London this weekend, to celebrate the movie’s 30th anniversary at the capital’s Film and Comic-Con convention. Released in July 1985 the time-travelling adventure would go on to become the year’s highest grossing film taking $383million worldwide and spawning two sequels.
Fox was joined at the convention by co-stars including Christopher Lloyd, who played Marty’s inventor friend Dr Emmett Brown, Lea Thompson who was Marty’s mother Lorraine and Claudia Wells, who played Marty’s girlfriend Jennifer in the first film.
Kicking off the celebrations on Friday the actors took part in a fan Q & A session were they reminisced about making the film 30 years ago and reflected on it’s legacy. When asked why he thought Marty had become such an iconic character Fox replied, “It's (Robert Zemeckis and producer Bob Gale's) fault. They created a really interesting character.”
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“What (Christopher) does in the movie that people don't really appreciate is that he lays all the exposition… All the stuff that's brilliant is also serving the story. With Marty, it's the same thing. It's his curiosity,” the actor continued. “He's just a cipher for the audience to take in what's happening and see their feelings reflected back…Marty was just everyman. Marty was every kid. He was just supposed to represent everyone's reaction to what was happening.”
On Sunday the actors reunited again to close the convention, with 54 year old Fox saying that attending the anniversary events over the past three days had filled him with “warm feelings”. “You’re the most genuine people I’ve met,” Fox told the crowd. “If that’s what a nerd is, then that’s what Marty is too.”
Speaking about the film’s enduring appeal, Fox said he thought it was all down to the unique relationship between his and Lloyd’s characters. “When you’re 17, a lot of things don’t seem possible. Doc shows Marty what is possible and he accepts him as he is, and invites him to share the adventure.”
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After sharing a fist-bump with Fox, Lloyd expressed a little more scepticism over the importance of Marty and Doc’s relationship telling the crowd, “[The Doc] would have found someone. Marty was just very receptive and awed.”
Once again reflecting on the film’s 30 year legacy Fox ended the anniversary panel by musing “Ironically, for a time-travelling movie, there was a timelessness about it. Kids now like it. Though my kids haven’t watched it. Or, if they have, they haven’t told me.”