Michael J. Fox Reflects on Balancing Iconic Roles in His New Memoir

Michael J. Fox explores the early days of his career in his memoir, “Future Boy,” sharing insight into the challenges of managing two famous roles simultaneously.

The actor recounts the hectic schedule of filming the third season of “Family Ties” while also working on “Back to the Future” in 1985. He mentions, “In the late winter and early spring of 1985, time definitely went crazy and took me with it. For three long months, I was Alex, Marty, and Mike. That’s two too many.” In the end, it was “Mike” who had to take a backseat to get his work done.

Fox elaborates, saying, “I was Alex P. Keaton by day and Marty McFly by night. In a 20-hour workday, there was very little time to be me, Mike Fox.”

He details a typical day: waking at 7 a.m. to get the script for “Family Ties,” rehearsing until 6 p.m., and then heading to Universal to film late into the night, often wrapping up around 3 a.m. The next morning? Right back at it by 7 a.m.

“For three long months, I was Alex, Marty, and Mike. That’s two too many. At least one of them had to go to get my job done. And Mike was the odd guy out.”

Fox remembers passing out in the backseat of his car, where his driver would take him home, put him to bed, and set an alarm for just four hours of sleep.

Rising to fame as Alex Keaton, the conservative son of liberal parents in “Family Ties,” which aired from 1982 to 1989, Fox later gained even more recognition with the success of “Back to the Future.”

He mentions that while he struggled with the double workload, his co-stars mostly found it “business as usual.” He recalls a conversation with Justin Bateman, where she expressed confusion over how he managed without sleep while filming. “I knew you were making a movie, but I remember being confused about when I was getting any sleep,” she commented.

Interestingly, Fox discovered later that many on the “Back to the Future” set were protective of him during filming. He learned from assistant director David McGiffert that director Bob Zemeckis had proposed a risky stunt for him, which they ultimately abandoned after serious objections.

“He wanted you to ride your skateboard in front of the car, and the car would push you up,” McGiffert explained. He felt it was too dangerous for the lead actor and insisted on a safer approach.

Fox also shared memories of dangerous stunts he’d performed in “Back to the Future III,” like an incident that left him briefly unconscious. He reflected on these moments with a mix of nostalgia and caution, stating, “Even though Bob Zemeckis was a fan of mine, even I wasn’t that good of an actor.”