Michael J. Fox shared memories of his time working alongside Crispin Glover in Back to the Future in his newly published memoir, Future Boy: Back to the Future and My Journey Through the Space-Time Continuum.
“Crispin is not someone who can easily be categorized. That said, it didn’t stop the crew from literally boxing him in,” Fox, now 64, wrote in his book, released on Tuesday, October 14. “As George McFly, Crispin had his vision of how his character should behave.”
This sometimes resulted in “tension” with writer Bob Gale and director Bob Zemeckis — yet they managed to work through their creative differences during a notable encounter on set. (In another section of the book, Fox recounted a “serious” conversation he overheard between Zemeckis and Glover.)
Fox described a particular scene with Glover, who is now 61, where their characters were engaged in conversation near a clothesline. (Fox portrayed Marty McFly while Glover played his father, George McFly.)
“When Crispin approached the camera, he was intended to stay within a specific lane between the clothesline and myself. However, he had his own plan,” Fox wrote. “I assume he envisioned George as a drifter, an unrestrained spirit who wandered in unpredictable ways — moving in a direction away from the camera this time.”
After Glover “drifted out of frame,” a crew member “made a small enclosure with sandbags and C-stands to keep Crispin within the shot’s constraints,” Fox claimed.
Despite the initial complications with the scene, Fox praised Glover’s performance as “downright captivating.”
“I enjoyed collaborating with him. His talent was beyond question, though his approach sometimes led to tension,” Fox remarked. “Nonetheless, I admired how he remained faithful to his interpretation of George.”
Fox also revealed that he had known Glover before their collaboration, but working alongside him was a different experience entirely.
“I was familiar with Crispin Glover before Back to the Future, but I wouldn’t say I was well-prepared to act alongside him — there’s really no way to prepare for Crispin,” Fox admitted. “With Chris Lloyd, I had a sense of what to expect. With Crispin, he took a different approach each time.”
Fox pointed out the difference in acting style between Lloyd (who played Doc Brown) and Glover, highlighting how the latter was “a trained theater actor.”
“Chris was more committed to the script, providing a constant we could rely on,” he reflected. “With Crispin, I never knew what he was going to do or say next. I’m not entirely convinced he knew either.”
Nevertheless, Fox took the opportunity to reach out to Glover while penning his memoir — a tribute to Back to the Future.
“Your acting becomes increasingly rich and profound each time I see it. Honestly, I often find myself skipping over my own scenes to watch yours,” Fox’s letter to Glover stated. “While we didn’t interact much during filming, I never got the chance to express how brilliant I think you are, and it was an honor to work alongside you.”
Future Boy is available now.
