How 'Back to the Future' Crew Member Saved Michael J. Fox From Risky Stunt Katherine SchaffstallOctober 20, 2025 at 1:16 AM 0 Erika Goldring/Getty Images Michael J.
- - How 'Back to the Future' Crew Member Saved Michael J. Fox From Risky Stunt
Katherine SchaffstallOctober 20, 2025 at 1:16 AM
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Erika Goldring/Getty Images
Michael J. Fox almost found himself in a bad situation when he was asked to participate in a dangerous stunt in Back to the Future, and he recently revealed how a crew member saved him from the scary situation.
In his new memoir, Future Boy, Fox, 64, looked back on making the classic 1985 time travel comedy and expressed his appreciation for the stunt team, particularly his stunt double, Charlie Croughwell.
"Without Charlie, there would be no Back to the Future as we know it," he wrote in the book, which was released on October 14.
Fox, who starred in the film as Marty McFly, went on to note that there was one stunt that was extremely important to director Robert Zemeckis, adding that Croughwell couldn't even save him from it.
"I later discovered that Charlie's first stunt was a point of contention between Bob Zemeckis and the 1st AD," Fox wrote.
David McGiffert, the film's assistant director, recalled during a conversation with Fox, "'I don't usually do this, but I had to put my foot down with Bob. He wanted you to be on the skateboard in front of the car, which would be pushing you. He had a certain angle in mind that only worked if you were the one doing the bit, so he said, 'Yeah, I want Michael to do it.' I shook my head. 'Bob, he can't do that.'"
While Zemeckis, 73, was adamant that Fox do the stunt, McGiffert recalled continuing to push the issue. "'You can't have your lead actor in that position. I know it's an off chance, but if he falls under the car, it's over in a heartbeat," he said.
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Fox then said that Zemeckis escalated the conflict by continuing to insist that the lead actor should do the stunt. "Bob really wanted his shot. He insisted again that I do the stunt, and that's when David, in a rare moment of defiance, said, 'Okay, if you do that, I'm going to have to put a note on the slate that says 'First AD protests,'" he said. "And that's when Bob relented."
While Fox did not have to do the dangerous stunt, he revealed that he did perform some of his own stunts for the film. "I did much of my own skateboard work in the movie, including hooking onto a few moving cars as they drove through Courthouse Square," he recalled. "But Charlie handled the crazy stunts. It was Charlie, not me, who sailed through the air the entire length of Biff's [Thomas F. Wilson] open convertible and reunited with the skateboard as it glided out the other end."
The director and AD managed to move on from their conflict and released the movie in 1985. Back to the Future was an instant success, and it was followed by sequelsBack to the Future Part II in 1989 and Back to the Future Part III in 1990.
This story was originally reported by Parade on Oct 20, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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