Michael J. Fox & His ‘Back To The Future’ Co-Stars Reunited On The Red Carpet At The Franchise’s Broadway Premiere

Jul 31, 2023

Michael J. Fox is a retired actor, who first rose to fame playing Alex Keaton on the TV series “Family Ties.” Fox starred on the show from 1982 to 1989 and became a household name during that time. In 1985, at the same time he was filming “Family Ties,” Fox filmed the hit movie “Back to the Future” at night while acting on the show during the day. 

Working twice as much in a day was exhausting, and Fox said at that time he was just trying to make it through the day. In December 2021, Fox shared that he had rewatched “Back to the Future” and his performance during that hectic time in his life was surprising to him.

In 1998, Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. He continued to make movies and starred in TV shows until 2014 when his series “The Michael J. Fox Show” ended. He officially retired from acting in 2020 due to his health issues. 

Over the course of his career, Fox has won numerous awards, including Primetime Emmy Awards, Golden Globe Awards and Screen Actors Guild Awards. Fox is a beloved actor who's been in the spotlight since the 1980s. Despite his tragic Parkinson's disease diagnosis in the early '90s, when he was only 29, Fox has had the support of his wife and fellow actress Tracy Pollan.

38 years after the hit film was released, it is now being reimagined on Broadway. As expected, Fox graced the Gala performance of “Back To The Future: The Musical.” Along with him was his good friend and co-star Christopher Lloyd, who played Dr. Emmett “Doc” Brown in the original film franchise, as well as Lea Thompson, who played his onscreen mom.

Keep on reading to learn more about the two actor’s friendship and more details about their red-carpet appearance.

Even though he is retired, Fox still looks back fondly at his incredible career. One milestone is certainly “Back to the Future.” In fact, there came a time when Fox decided to do some binge-watching of the film that catapulted him to stardom.  

"Putting the lights on the tree, decorations on the tree, and my son was down and two of my daughters. I went to get something in the other room and it was on, (the) TV was on. It was ‘Back to the Future,’ it was right at the beginning, I think the car in the parking lot,” Fox shared to CBS Mornings.

The retired actor eventually reflected on how great his acting was back then:

"Then, after about 20 minutes (my family) realized I was gone. It took them like 20 minutes or a half an hour to realize me and the dog had left. They said, ‘What are you doing?’ I said, ‘Watching ‘Back to the Future.’ They said, ‘Why are you watching ‘Back to the Future?’’ I said, ‘It’s really good! I’m really good in this.’ I hadn’t realized that. All that crazy stuff was good. It was just what I was doing to survive the moment."

On Oct. 31, 2022, Fox shared his thoughts with People Magazine about “Back To The Future: The Musical.” According to Fox, the project was of “pretty good quality.” 

"I was really taken (by the fact) that they're not trying to do us. They're trying to do a new thing," the award-winning actor pointed out. "It's an independent piece based on the same set of ideas and characters."

The “Back To The Future” trilogy became one of the most successful film franchises of all time. It had its own animated TV series, video game and even a ride at Universal Studios. In 2023, the movie landed on Broadway for the first time. 

Supposedly the original musical was intended to be released in London in 2015 – the same year when the original characters landed in the future. However, a production shake-up occurred, which led to the departure of the musical's original director. 

In February 2020, the show opened in London and moved to the West End the year after. The musical then made its way to Broadway in 2023. The “Back To The Future: The Musical” had its previews on June 30, 2023.

In a conversation with Variety, Fox opened up about the struggles of shooting the film and “Family Ties” side by side.

"I was running on adrenaline," he confessed to the publication. "I barely knew where I was, and I didn't really know what I was doing. That served the film because Marty's supposed to be disoriented."

At the red carpet premiere of the musical on July 25, 2023, Fox, Lloyd, and Thompson, who played Fox's mom in the film, were all in attendance to express support for the show's gala performance. The trio came together in a nostalgic and endearing reunion along with the film’s producer Steven Spielberg. Also with them were the lead actors of the musical, Casey Likes and Roger Bart. Everyone was thrilled to see each other again during the exciting reunion, as visibly seen in their smiles in the photos.

This was not the first time that Lloyd and Fox reunited, as the duo made a surprise appearance at the New York Comic Con in October 2022, during which they were touched and moved about their first reunion in years.

Are you a fan of Michael J. Fox? What can you say about his reunion with his "Back to the Future" castmates? Isn’t it wonderful? Let us know, and pass this on to your family, friends and other “Back To The Future” fans!