While Back to the Future is now widely considered one of the greatest films of all time, the Robert Zemeckis-directed movie had an incredibly troubled production, something that even extended to the casting of Marty McFly. Described by the director as a "comedy, adventure, science fiction, time-travel love story," Back to the Future began life in 1980 as an idea based on co-writer Bob Gale's discovery of his father's high school yearbook: Gale wondered whether he would have been friends with his father if the two had attended school together. However, it would take another five years and an incredibly difficult production for Back to the Future to reach theaters.

While Michael J. Fox was the first choice to play Marty McFly in Back to the Future, he was not the only actor considered. Many young actors who would later go on to stardom auditioned to play Marty. However, Fox ultimately won the role, which launched his film career. Fox would go on to reprise his role as Marty McFly in the film's two sequels: Back to the Future Part II in 1989 and Back to the Future Part III in 1990. However, the road to his casting as Marty McFly in Back to the Future was paved with production difficulties. Here are the other actors considered for Marty:

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Eric Stoltz

Eric Stoltz in Back to the Future before Michael J. Fox.

When principal photography on Back to the Future began in November 1984, Michael J. Fox was not the actor playing Marty McFly. Scheduling conflicts with his sitcom Family Ties meant that Fox was not even given the script. Chief Executive of Universal, Sid Sheinberg, instead handpicked Eric Stoltz to play Marty McFly due to his liking of Stoltz's performance as teenager Rocky Dennis in Peter Bogdanovich's drama Mask. Despite his casting of Stoltz, Zemeckis became unhappy with the actor's performance. Stoltz made use of method acting for his portrayal of Marty McFly, even refusing to answer to his real name, much to the crew's frustration.

Stoltz's method led to an incredibly hostile working relationship between him and Thomas F. Wilson, who plays Biff Tannen in Back to the Future. Repeated takes of a fight scene between Marty and Biff led to Wilson's collarbone becoming bruised, something Wilson planned to avenge, according to Vulture, when it came to filming the prom scene where Biff punches Marty. However, this would never come to pass.

Eric Stoltz filmed his final Marty McFly scenes for Back to the Future on January 10, 1985. That night, Robert Zemeckis entered his trailer and informed the actor that his services were no longer required. Zemeckis disliked the serious tone that Stoltz brought to the part, with both men ultimately agreeing that he had been miscast. Stoltz's firing meant that Back to the Future fell well behind schedule and over budget, with 34 days of filming lost and the actor's contract requiring him to be paid in full. Zemeckis held a meeting with the crew, informing them of Stoltz's firing and the subsequent reshooting they would have to undergo.

Stoltz's firing had an additional effect on the cast of Back to the Future. While the majority of the crew saw his removal from the film as a positive, Jennifer Parker's original actress, Melora Hardin (The Office), was also let go from the production as she was deemed to be too tall by the film's female crew to be seriously seen as Michael J. Fox's girlfriend. Claudia Wells, who had initially turned down the role of Jennifer due to scheduling conflicts, replaced her. Michael J. Fox began his first day on Back to the Future on January 15, 1985, while simultaneously continuing to shoot Family Ties during the day.

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Ben Stiller

Ben-Stiller

One of the other actors who (unsuccessfully) auditioned for the role of Marty McFly was a young Ben Stiller. Although the comedian/actor is now widely known for his roles in Zoolander, Night at the Museum, and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Stiller was far from a household name in the early 1980s. In fact, had he been cast as Marty McFly, Back to the Future would have been his screen debut. Though he missed out on Marty McFly, Stiller must have made a good impression on Back to the Future's executive producer, Steven Spielberg, as he would cast the young actor in Empire of the Sun in 1987.

C. Thomas Howell

The Outsiders C. Thomas-Howell

Unlike Ben Stiller, C. Thomas Howell was an incredibly famous actor throughout the 1980s. Making his film debut in 1982's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, C. Thomas Howell would secure the lead role of Ponyboy Curtis in Francis Ford Coppola's The Outsiders in 1983. Howell was more successful than his The Outsiders co-star Ralph Maccio in auditions for Back to the Future, emerging as one of the two frontrunners for the role of Marty McFly alongside Eric Stoltz. Unfortunately for Howell, Sheinberg and Zemeckis would ultimately cast Stoltz. After losing out on Back to the Future, Howell would star in the horror-thriller film The Hitcher with Blade Runner's Rutger Hauer.

Jon Cryer

Jon Cryer in Pretty in Pink

Jon Cryer may be known to modern audiences as Alan Harper in Two and a Half Men and as Lex Luthor in the CW's DC series, but back in the mid-1980s he was a member of the "Brat Pack." Starring in teen movies like Pretty in Pink, Cryer was the exact sort of actor that was perfect for the part of Marty McFly in Back to the Future. However, as his audition was unsuccessful, Cryer was not the exact actor that Zemeckis was looking for. Coincidentally, Cryer's Two and a Half Men co-star, Charlie Sheen, also auditioned to play Marty McFly in Back to the Future and was similarly ill-fated.

Many other young actors also tried out for Marty McFly. John Cusack, Johnny Depp, Billy Zane (who appears in Back to the Future as Match, one of Biff's gang), Peter DeLuise, Matthew Modine, George Newbern, Christopher Collet, and Robert Downey Jr. were all considered but ultimately turned down. In addition, the singer Corey Hart, known for "Sunglasses at Night", was asked to audition but declined the invitation. Although the film had plenty of production troubles, including the casting of Marty McFly, Back to the Future remains one of the greatest films ever made.

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