It is hard to believe Tom Wilson actually thought he was going to get cut from the movie. He was perfect for this role. I dont think anyone could have played Biff better than he did.
Even though Thomas Wilson wasn't cut from the movie, he was still mad at Bob Zemekis for stealing his line telling Eric Stoltz to make like a tree and get out of here (or leave).
Tom Wilson is the backbone of this trilogy - i think he plays 7 different characters. Five versions of Biff (1955 Biff, cocky 1985 Biff who knocks George on the head, Meek 1985 Biff who is cleaning the car at the end of BTTF1, rich 1985 Biff, and old Biff from 2015) and then Griff and Mad Dog as well.
And voiced four different Biff’s in Back To The Future The Game as well meek Biff, gangster Biff, mind controlled Biff and a version of Biff with a different grandmother
@@MarySmith-lv3mo i honestly never thought of that. if tom cruise played marty on the other hand... but tom's a villainous scientologist, anyway. i bet tom makes foxy feel tall, though. :P
It's so funny in retrospect hearing how worried Tom was about getting fired. Not only did he have one of the strongest performances in the film, but he's gone down as arguably one of the greatest movie villains of all time.
Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy similarly thought they were being let go from WarGames when Martin Brest was replaced by John Badham (an issue that it still very contentious and difficult to discuss by all participants)
@@thetribalist6923 " Villain " is a tad strong. Maybe " antagonist " - slightly less harsh. Just like Maj. Frank Burns from MASH. Not a villain, but an antagonist who acts like a dimwit AND a punching bag.
@@DanielAppleton-lr9eq he was going to rape Marty McFly’s mom. That’s a pretty strong villain in my opinion. I get what you mean though. If he were just a bully, I think your description would be more apt. Don’t forget another timeline when he murders George, and if we’re including every character that Tom played, then he also murdered Marty’s other family members in the old west, and would have murdered Doc.
Thomas F. Wilson was cast as Biff Tannen because the producers felt that the original choice, J. J. Cohen, wasn't physically imposing enough to bully Stoltz. Cohen was recast as Skinhead, one of Biff's cohorts. Had Fox been cast from the beginning, Cohen probably would have won the part because he was sufficiently taller than Fox.
@@VenusHeadTrap2 A simple Google search would "explain" precisely what I'm talking about. It's an extremely common phrase and I find it very hard to believe you don't know its meaning.
The sign of good actors, if they can convincingly play a total jerk, when they're actually not. It's probably only human nature to dislike them, though, until you see or hear them in an interview.
He does tons of voice acting. One of which I know for sure is a few characters in SpongeBob one of them being the Strangler that SpongeBob mistakes for his bodyguard 😂
@@stanknugget Gasp, are you airing your dirty laundry that you don't like Tom airing his dirty laundry? What's the scoop? You just aired your dirty laundry on a much smaller scale for the entire internet to see. OOOoooo.
I think what is mad about Tom Wilson in the trilogy is he really squeezes something fresh out of every version of Biff. The iconic one for the BTTF1 is a meathead but you can tell he is an insecure bully. Then for BTTF2 in the alternative reality , you can tell he is way more confident in who he is because of the wealth. The old version in BTTF2 has a bitter edge that he plays perfectly (The film also did a great job with his size on camera with this one, because you can barely believe it's the same actor's body). Mad Dog from 3 obviously plays a bit with an accent and has a criminal/murderous edge, then Gryff from 2 is way more psychotic. It would have been so easy for Wilson to phone it in with the smaller parts but he didn't, he threw everything into the roles.
From what it sounds like, he immersed himself in a dramatic role when everybody wanted a light hearted, comedic role. Seems he showed up on set determined to play a type of character and wasn’t going to break from that. Getting fired is going to happen if you can’t be flexible.
@@iambiggus Eric mentioned in 1994 (for the L.A. Times) that he could have played the part as required had Zemeckis given him the heads up that he was acting in a comedy as opposed to an adventure with the occasional funny line.
@@spider-keithasmr38 I thought about that but a woman who worked for Amblin had posted a believable comment on the Hollywood Reporter site ten years ago. She claimed that Spielberg told Zemeckis to not give Eric any direction so that the studio's higher ups would be convinced that he was miscast when they saw a rough cut. I believe her because one of the things that she had said had foreshadowed something that was written in the 2015 visual history book. She claimed that the reason why they didn't fire Eric straight away was because so much money would have been spent a month later that it would be difficult for the studio to cancel the entire project.
The chemistry of Lloyd and Fox was brilliant, but the performances from Wilson really top off a great trilogy. Plus he's the only one who really has to play very differing parts, - with young Biff, Old Biff, 80s Biff, alternate 80s Biff, Griff and Beaufort Tannen - and he does it superbly, with the right amount of ham for a cartoon bad guy.
If you ever hear him talk about it, he was having the time of his life, especially on 3. He got to pal around with a lot of really classic character actors, and learn skills from veteran Hollywood trainers, and apparently he was just lapping everything up.
Tom Cruise was just as bad during the making of Top Gun. Someone on Yahoo had typed the following in a comment section: "I was on the USS Enterprise when Top Gun was filmed. Word quickly got around (as it does on every US Naval ship) that Cruise was a snob. He flat out refused to speak to any of the enlisted men; he would only be addressed by officers. " "Accordingly, he refused to eat with the enlisted men on the mess deck. He would only eat with the officers in the Ward Room. Fair enough. One day a Warrant Officer (a commissioned officer who came up through the ranks as an enlisted man) walked in and saw Cruise eating there wearing a tank top. He promptly told him to get the ---- out. "I don't want to eat my dinner staring at your armpits." Cruise got up and left."
@@makeitsonumberone1358 Definitely. I came across an interview with Eric where he was talking about a film called The Waterdance. He said: "I was sixteen and a friend was injured in a car accident and I'm afraid I may have reacted poorly to his new condition. But, after meeting many of the patients at the hospital where we filmed the movie, and of course after playing the part, I feel no discomfort about approaching and talking with a person in a wheelchair."
I worked with him 2 years ago on an episode of LEGENDS OF TOMORROW. He looked familiar, but obviously older. Once I heard his voice I realized he played BIFF on BACK TO THE FUTURE. Great guy on set.
Funny how Thomas and Michael J. Fox, when they really did reach their late 40s, actually looked much younger than they were made to look in the 2nd movie.
Dude all of those movies made ppl look hella old! Helen Hunt looks old in Mad About You vs Pay it Forward 20 yrs later where she is hot! Sandra Bullock in Speed then The Proposal. There's countless examples. The 80's. Am I right!?! Lol
Any movies that do the "aging the characters" thing go ridiculously overboard with the bad wrinkles makeup job. They don't even look like themselves in the fake aged makeup. They make an "aged 40-something" look like they're 78. In reality many people age pretty decently and definitely still look like themselves 20 years later.
Talking about how Stoltz kept jamming his heels into his collarbone got me to thinking about Burt Reynolds talking about "The Longest Yard". He said during the scenes where they were actually playing football and tackling, Ray Nitschke, long time great LB for the Green Bay Packers, kept just hitting him like he was in a real game and trying to take him out.... So he said to him, "Hey, Ray, take it easy, it's just a movie." And he said Ray Nitschke looked at him, didn't even crack a grin, and said, "Not to me, Candyass."
Well, tone is all important to a film. There's a whimsical nature to the BTTF trilogy. Stoltz was approaching it almost too sombre, too serious. His comedic timing wasn't as charming or as natural as Fox's. It is hard for me to personally see Stoltz in the three movies we have today.
Hands down the best actor in the entire trilogy. Every version of the antagonist he plays is believable and unique. It never gets old watching any of his roles in BTTF.
Man I’d just love to have a beer with Tom Wilson, he seems just cool and a friendly dude with great stories. Incredible acting as well. Not only did his characters have the largest time span, from 1885 to 2015, his characters also range from a high schooler to an old man, and everything in between.
What is so awesome is that Tom can play such a great bad guy while being one of the nicest guys in Hollywood. I have looked around the web and can't find a story where anyone dislikes the guy. THAT is a near impossible thing in acting, a genuine nice person.
Wilson said in interviews that he was a much smaller, band geek, and president of the debate team in high school, and was actually bullied by others. He channeled his HS antagonists in his role as Biff.
I met stoltz in Dublin Ireland circa 1997-8 it was lunch time and we were both eating - i looked over and said your a good actor - he replied - “I know” Needless to say my eyes rolled
"....Everybody call me Marty, except Leah who's playing my mom who I'm trying to make out with off camera...." Well, Eric got his wish two years later in "Some Kind of Wonderful."
My GF and I went on our first date to see Tom at a comedy club called The Funny Bone in Hartford, CT. Great show, and we met him afterwords, great guy as well
It`s possible, I just think the way Stoltz was fired as soon they needed a bigger budget and reshooting and able to get Fox was sleazy. Then again, he got responsability too.
Freaks and Geeks was on the year i graduated (2000) and its such an underrated show....so many known actors in that show.....it shouldnt have been cancelled after one season...all 18 episodes are great....
Freaks and Geeks was awesome. I could totally relate to Lindsay. I felt like they based her character on my junior high years. I had no idea Tom was the gym teacher. Now I'll have to try and catch an episode somewhere. I just can't see it, but it's been a long time since I've watched any episodes. Edit: You're right. Just watched this clip about 'The Prank Call'. It's comedy gold. th-cam.com/video/7_HJ67QYrjQ/w-d-xo.html
he was great in that. it was an unexpected role for him as i thought he was going to play another asshole but it turned out he's playing a real nice and sympathetic guy.
I really liked this interview. It was an honest, no holds barred, frank discussion of what was going on from Tom's point of view and what he observed on and off the set.
Ironically Eric got his piece of Thomas F Wilson in the diner scene and school cafeteria, but Tom sadly didn't get his piece of Eric Stoltz afterwards, lol. No wonder he chews him out here so badly!
I never liked the whole Producers/Stoltz issue (I think the producers are wankers, mostly) but if there is someone with a credible beef is Tom here. Fair game.
@@MisterWhat To be fair, Eric was hard on Tom because Tom got a bit too rough with Crispin during the audition stage. Eric and Crispin were already friends since they had attended the same drama class (they even acted in an aspirin commercial where they played brothers).
His performances in the trilogy was phenomenal. What a great human being too. I would say Darth Vader and Biff Tannen are the two best villains of all time. Hands down.
Andrew Gold they said in a documentary that the would eventually release Eric stoltz scenes someday he didn’t say when but I think they will release it on either July 3rd 2025 or July 3rd 2035
Some Sort of Wonderful came out two years later in 1987. They were also in a movie together a year BEFORE BTTF called The Wild Life. It was a deliberate choice.
I can’t imagine anyone doing a better job playing Biff than Tom Wilson did. And Michael J. Fox was perfect as Marty McFly. BTTF was the first movie my new GF (now wife of 36+ years) saw together, back in 1986. It holds a very special place in our hearts. I wonder if TW ever got to do the scene where he yanks Marty out of the car with Stoltz? That would be an outtake worth seeing!
Thomas F. Wilson was cast as Biff Tannen because the producers felt that the original choice, J. J. Cohen, wasn't physically imposing enough to bully Stoltz. Cohen was recast as Skinhead, one of Biff's cohorts. Had Fox been cast from the beginning, Cohen probably would have won the part because he was sufficiently taller than Fox.
That One Guy Having to film the entire film again doesn't mean the actor sucks (everybody on the set agreed that Eric was great when performing, but he jus wasn't right for the role. Eric also agreed on that). It'd be weird to see Marty McFly suddenly have a facial reconstruction AND have a different tone and personality halfway through the film.
I dont mean sucks as an actor, I mean suck as Marty. And where can I read or hear the interview with Eric where he says that? Ive heard hes talked about it but cant find where.
I was only watching BTTF the other day and thought 'wow, Michael J. Fox's charisma is off the scale'. It's a whacky tale that works with Fox and with anyone else it probably would have just been seen as a teen movie.
Yeah, Michael J. Fox has this crazy likeability factor to him that few people in Hollywood have. I would watch Secret of my Success a lot as a kid, not because I liked the movie, but because I liked Michael so much. Eric is a great actor, but hes too serious and straight for this role.
Tom Wilson is so under appreciated in this series. Not that he gets negative comments or anything, but he was just so good. He had to play middle aged jerk Biff, young Biff, middle aged nice Biff, old man Biff, Donald Trump Biff, and Mad Dog across 3 movies. And I buy every one of those characters, every one you can see him having a blast with and helping make the movies that much more memorable.
@@bluebear1985 He could be in a remake of Interview with a Vampire & add a twist to it. Or play the warden *or* the guard - Clancy Brown's role - in The Shawshank Redemption.
Tom Wilson was great as Biff. I can't imagine anyone else but Michael J Fox as Marty McFly. Eric Stoltz was very good in "Mask," but he was miscast in "Back To The Future."
Yes, I was at one of his showings once too and purchased on of his larger and more expensive pieces. He was there and I had him sign it with a sharpie in large letters right across the center of the painting. I still have it hanging above my bed to this very day.
Reposting this from my reply in another comment: Honestly, I feel both Stoltz and MJF are amazing and talented actors and they were capable of providing to the directors what they felt, portrayed and gave life to the fictional character "Marty McFly", albeit in different styles. We cannot really say for certain whos the better actor as the footage hasnt been out yet, but from what I'm seeing here, I feel Stotlz wasnt clearly directed well enough to fit the comedy genre, and by the looks of it, he probably made the character Luke Skywalker-esque (serious, soft spoken, humorous at times), which still wouldve worked for the movie as what Joseph says that he played those scenes well. In Michael's case, hes a completely different can of worms compared to Eric. I think the reason why it worked so well for the movie is because of his charisma and the way he acted out scenes and situations if done differently would off-put the audience, which in this case is the "mom-is-in-love-with-me" subplot, which I felt was done exceedingly well because of Lea Thompson and Michael J. Fox's excellent comedic timing and interesting chemistry, especially how they handled such a weird and potentially contreversial subplot in such a lighthearted and comedic fashion that the audience usually wouldnt think that deep into it. Im pretty sure the movie would be seen different if Eric was in it because I dont think he can be able to pull off that incestual subplot that well as Michael did, but I still wouldve think the movie wouldve gone well with him, since Eric is also a talented actor and knows how to handle comedy well (Pulp Fiction is a nice example), but maybe not to the instantly-likeable and overly charismatic/comedic degree as MJF which the directors liked more.
It is hard to believe Tom Wilson actually thought he was going to get cut from the movie. He was perfect for this role. I dont think anyone could have played Biff better than he did.
You can't say that if nobody played the character lol.
So many real bullies can be a bulky character lol
Agreed, Wilson was fantastic as Biff!..
I know, but i guess of the main five actors he was the least experienced/established in 1985, so i can understand why he’d think that at the time.
@@bowens9456 yeah you can’t say nobody could have done it but he did fit the role perfectly.
Even though Thomas Wilson wasn't cut from the movie, he was still mad at Bob Zemekis for stealing his line telling Eric Stoltz to make like a tree and get out of here (or leave).
Tom Wilson is the backbone of this trilogy - i think he plays 7 different characters. Five versions of Biff (1955 Biff, cocky 1985 Biff who knocks George on the head, Meek 1985 Biff who is cleaning the car at the end of BTTF1, rich 1985 Biff, and old Biff from 2015) and then Griff and Mad Dog as well.
Not to mention he did the voice of Biff in the cartoon as well.
He voiced Biff's grandma in BTTF2 as well!
@@infiltrat0rn720 That I did not know!
And voiced four different Biff’s in Back To The Future The Game as well meek Biff, gangster Biff, mind controlled Biff and a version of Biff with a different grandmother
@@infiltrat0rn720 😂
When Biff turns out to be the nicest guy ever and Marty is the real villain...
Marty basically ruins Biff's life in 1955
ironically, fox & wilson are friends.
@@jpbart1390 To be fair, he wasn't saying that Fox's Marty was the Villain, he was saying that Stoltz's Marty was the Villain. ;)
@@MarySmith-lv3mo i honestly never thought of that. if tom cruise played marty on the other hand... but tom's a villainous scientologist, anyway. i bet tom makes foxy feel tall, though. :P
usually the “heros” in movies a re real azholes! and the villains are the nicest people ever! 🤣
Fox was born to play Marty.
sounds like they got a lot of film, would love a Stoltz cut similar to what they did with Superman 2 and the donner cut? Thoughts???
Jesus vo bbl B.B.by
@dave4248 I dunno if your argument stands, Hugh Jackman is 1,88m tall, and still he played Wolverine.
You can do a lot with cameras. :P
400
@@GisherJohn24 Personally I'm not really into seeing BTTF with an inferior actor that did a poor job and got fired because of it.
It's so funny in retrospect hearing how worried Tom was about getting fired. Not only did he have one of the strongest performances in the film, but he's gone down as arguably one of the greatest movie villains of all time.
I wouldn’t say arguable. He’s ONE of the greatest villains in movie history.
Now we know that Eric Stoltz is actually one of the biggest villain behind the scenes in Back to the Future.
Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy similarly thought they were being let go from WarGames when Martin Brest was replaced by John Badham (an issue that it still very contentious and difficult to discuss by all participants)
@@thetribalist6923 " Villain " is a tad strong. Maybe " antagonist " - slightly less harsh. Just like Maj. Frank Burns from MASH. Not a villain, but an antagonist who acts like a dimwit AND a punching bag.
@@DanielAppleton-lr9eq he was going to rape Marty McFly’s mom. That’s a pretty strong villain in my opinion. I get what you mean though. If he were just a bully, I think your description would be more apt.
Don’t forget another timeline when he murders George, and if we’re including every character that Tom played, then he also murdered Marty’s other family members in the old west, and would have murdered Doc.
Highly underrated actor.
Thomas F. Wilson was cast as Biff Tannen because the producers felt that the original choice, J. J. Cohen, wasn't physically imposing enough to bully Stoltz. Cohen was recast as Skinhead, one of Biff's cohorts. Had Fox been cast from the beginning, Cohen probably would have won the part because he was sufficiently taller than Fox.
Dametime interesting trivia, thanks! 👍
You’re right, he was so great in freaks and geeks too
Explain underrated
@@VenusHeadTrap2 A simple Google search would "explain" precisely what I'm talking about. It's an extremely common phrase and I find it very hard to believe you don't know its meaning.
i grew up in the 80's and everyone hated Biff because he was a big bully. But Tom is a great actor and I 'm glad he wasn't fired
Mike Condos I mean you are supposed to hate him, he's the antagonist of the film.
Yeah, dispacable character but nice actor.
But, as is usually the case, he's a great guy in real life, and used experiences being bullied in portraying the character.
The sign of good actors, if they can convincingly play a total jerk, when they're actually not. It's probably only human nature to dislike them, though, until you see or hear them in an interview.
Yeah he's the nicest, most down to earth guy. Total opposite of Biff!
I'd probably like to meet Tom Wilson more than any person from the cast. Not only is he hilarious, but seems like a normal dude.
David R everyone always said he was the nicest down to earth guy you will ever meet
I bet he hates calling people butthead.
Tom Wilson said in a behind the scenes featurette that he is not a Macho Guy
For back to the future 3
He's apparently an incredibly nice guy, the total opposite of Biff :)
Bob Gale: "Eric, you are terminated! Read my fax!"
Eric Stoltz: "No! Please! No! I cannot be fired! I'm fired! Oh, this is heavy!""
LMAO! I love BTTF References! :D
Well done. Hilarious.
There's that word again. "Heavy." Why are things so heavy in the future? Is there a problem with the Earth's gravitational pull?
There's that word again. "Heavy." Why are things so heavy in the future? Is there a problem with the Earth's gravitational pull?
Lol 😂
Hahahahahahahahahahaaha! LMAOOOO 😂
It's too bad we don't see Thomas F.Wilson in more movies. He is a great actor.
He’s actually done a lot of voice acting over the years
He was in Larry the Cable Guy health inspector and the heat.
@@Unqualifiedmedicalperson he’s great as a voice actor
He does tons of voice acting. One of which I know for sure is a few characters in SpongeBob one of them being the Strangler that SpongeBob mistakes for his bodyguard 😂
He's a great musician as well and may be on tour currently.. Check him out if you can
"Live by the method. Die by the method." Words of wisdom from Biff.
Dude is sharp and funny!
Well, it's a better line than "Make like a tree and beat it"
The biff came out of him aka Method 😂😂
Every time I've heard this guy interview on the trilogy...this guy is a born storyteller. A veritable raconteur.
and a amazing entertainer and comedian.
Talk about airing your dirty laundry…
@@stanknugget Gasp, are you airing your dirty laundry that you don't like Tom airing his dirty laundry? What's the scoop? You just aired your dirty laundry on a much smaller scale for the entire internet to see. OOOoooo.
@@stanknugget One word : CATHARSIS.
He was funny in "the heat". Not too big of a role but it was good
Tom Wilson is by far and away the most valuable player in the entire trilogy. These movies should have launched him into superstardom
i agree he was amazing in the movies. I would say the 3rd main character of course next to Marty and Doc Tom was the 3rd of the big trio.
He's got a full actor's reel just from this trilogy of all sorts of different characters. It's a crime he wasn't bigger.
Eh. I like Tom Wilson, but anytime I ever see him in a tv show or movie I just see Biff.
I think what is mad about Tom Wilson in the trilogy is he really squeezes something fresh out of every version of Biff. The iconic one for the BTTF1 is a meathead but you can tell he is an insecure bully. Then for BTTF2 in the alternative reality , you can tell he is way more confident in who he is because of the wealth. The old version in BTTF2 has a bitter edge that he plays perfectly (The film also did a great job with his size on camera with this one, because you can barely believe it's the same actor's body). Mad Dog from 3 obviously plays a bit with an accent and has a criminal/murderous edge, then Gryff from 2 is way more psychotic. It would have been so easy for Wilson to phone it in with the smaller parts but he didn't, he threw everything into the roles.
Marty McFly is not the kind of character that requires that kind of immersion.
That`s the sort of thing that is arguable, depending on who sees it, I guess.
From what it sounds like, he immersed himself in a dramatic role when everybody wanted a light hearted, comedic role. Seems he showed up on set determined to play a type of character and wasn’t going to break from that. Getting fired is going to happen if you can’t be flexible.
@@iambiggus Eric mentioned in 1994 (for the L.A. Times) that he could have played the part as required had Zemeckis given him the heads up that he was acting in a comedy as opposed to an adventure with the occasional funny line.
@@incognoscente That's just Eric making up excuses for falling short on what should be his responsibility as an actor.
@@spider-keithasmr38 I thought about that but a woman who worked for Amblin had posted a believable comment on the Hollywood Reporter site ten years ago.
She claimed that Spielberg told Zemeckis to not give Eric any direction so that the studio's higher ups would be convinced that he was miscast when they saw a rough cut.
I believe her because one of the things that she had said had foreshadowed something that was written in the 2015 visual history book. She claimed that the reason why they didn't fire Eric straight away was because so much money would have been spent a month later that it would be difficult for the studio to cancel the entire project.
The chemistry of Lloyd and Fox was brilliant, but the performances from Wilson really top off a great trilogy. Plus he's the only one who really has to play very differing parts, - with young Biff, Old Biff, 80s Biff, alternate 80s Biff, Griff and Beaufort Tannen - and he does it superbly, with the right amount of ham for a cartoon bad guy.
If you ever hear him talk about it, he was having the time of his life, especially on 3. He got to pal around with a lot of really classic character actors, and learn skills from veteran Hollywood trainers, and apparently he was just lapping everything up.
Well, Michael J Fox also plays his own daughter and son as well as his older self in part 2 and something like his great, great grandfather in part 3.
What's great about Wilson, is when he says "look, this is a movie." Some of these method guys need to get a grip.
Yes get a grip, not a gaff.. who's in charge of gaffes.
Amen to that, he had me cracking up at the same time too but he's right.😃
Tom Cruise was just as bad during the making of Top Gun. Someone on Yahoo had typed the following in a comment section: "I was on the USS Enterprise when Top Gun was filmed. Word quickly got around (as it does on every US Naval ship) that Cruise was a snob. He flat out refused to speak to any of the enlisted men; he would only be addressed by officers.
"
"Accordingly, he refused to eat with the enlisted men on the mess deck. He would only eat with the officers in the Ward Room. Fair enough.
One day a Warrant Officer (a commissioned officer who came up through the ranks as an enlisted man) walked in and saw Cruise eating there wearing a tank top. He promptly told him to get the ---- out. "I don't want to eat my dinner staring at your armpits." Cruise got up and left."
jim carrey was sutch a twat Making Man on the moon.
@@makeitsonumberone1358 Definitely. I came across an interview with Eric where he was talking about a film called The Waterdance. He said: "I was sixteen and a friend was injured in a car accident and I'm afraid I may have reacted poorly to his new condition. But, after meeting many of the patients at the hospital where we filmed the movie, and of course after playing the part, I feel no discomfort about approaching and talking with a person in a wheelchair."
Wilsons and Glovers chemistry was perfect. Those scenes of them together were hillarious.
I worked with him 2 years ago on an episode of LEGENDS OF TOMORROW.
He looked familiar, but obviously older. Once I heard his voice I realized he played BIFF on BACK TO THE FUTURE.
Great guy on set.
I loved seeing him on Legends, it seemed a natural fit given the writers' love for BTTF ❤
Funny how Thomas and Michael J. Fox, when they really did reach their late 40s, actually looked much younger than they were made to look in the 2nd movie.
Dude all of those movies made ppl look hella old! Helen Hunt looks old in Mad About You vs Pay it Forward 20 yrs later where she is hot! Sandra Bullock in Speed then The Proposal. There's countless examples. The 80's. Am I right!?! Lol
Any movies that do the "aging the characters" thing go ridiculously overboard with the bad wrinkles makeup job. They don't even look like themselves in the fake aged makeup. They make an "aged 40-something" look like they're 78. In reality many people age pretty decently and definitely still look like themselves 20 years later.
Talking about how Stoltz kept jamming his heels into his collarbone got me to thinking about Burt Reynolds talking about "The Longest Yard". He said during the scenes where they were actually playing football and tackling, Ray Nitschke, long time great LB for the Green Bay Packers, kept just hitting him like he was in a real game and trying to take him out.... So he said to him, "Hey, Ray, take it easy, it's just a movie." And he said Ray Nitschke looked at him, didn't even crack a grin, and said, "Not to me, Candyass."
That part came out great with MJF I believed it and Tom didn’t complain about that so Eric must have really been way over the line.
Twist is that Michael J Fox actually went back in time and did some stuff to make the producers get rid of eric and hire him. True story.
🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯
“Live by the method, die by the method” 😂
It'd be interesting to watch the Stoltz version.
th-cam.com/video/UCx__7IDYbk/w-d-xo.html
It would be cool to see if they did the post shot effects, but I'm sure it doesn't have a score and edits behind it.
It'd be painful. It was the wrong TONE.
freddybeer I'm not denying it, but how do we know?
Well, tone is all important to a film. There's a whimsical nature to the BTTF trilogy. Stoltz was approaching it almost too sombre, too serious. His comedic timing wasn't as charming or as natural as Fox's. It is hard for me to personally see Stoltz in the three movies we have today.
This might be the first time I've ever heard a little bit of Biff come out of Tom in one of his interviews :P
Ban Fasso probably because he hates when fans ask him to do it
There's a little bit of Biff in all of us.
Hands down the best actor in the entire trilogy. Every version of the antagonist he plays is believable and unique. It never gets old watching any of his roles in BTTF.
Second best. Crispin Glover as George McFly was outstandingly exceptional.
Thomas F. Wilson has always been great. Very professional, courteous and a decent actor.
Man I’d just love to have a beer with Tom Wilson, he seems just cool and a friendly dude with great stories. Incredible acting as well. Not only did his characters have the largest time span, from 1885 to 2015, his characters also range from a high schooler to an old man, and everything in between.
Just make sure you have something other than light beer.
@@SENATORPAIN1 LIGHT BEER. I know some Canadians, & I can feel their utter distaste at the thought. Mostly around Ontario.
What is so awesome is that Tom can play such a great bad guy while being one of the nicest guys in Hollywood. I have looked around the web and can't find a story where anyone dislikes the guy. THAT is a near impossible thing in acting, a genuine nice person.
He'd either be channeling Gandhi, St. Francis or Mr. Rogers to be that well - liked. Just saying.
Wilson said in interviews that he was a much smaller, band geek, and president of the debate team in high school, and was actually bullied by others. He channeled his HS antagonists in his role as Biff.
He loves to patt boys' butts. He's a butt patter.
@@deanevangelista6359 Damn good idea, constructive as well.
We're you bored
to me... thomas Wilson's Biff was the absolute best part of the Back to the Future trilogy for me.
absolutely
MrPixelptlk if you really think that then make like a tree and get out of here
Butthead. He was awesome. And he is such a nice guy in real life which makes it even better
MrPixelptlk He was extremely hateful - but that contributes to the movie.
MrPixelptlk apart from Marty
Make like a tree and get out of here
It's make like a tree and leave! You sound like a damn fool when you say it wrong!!!
You butthead.
How did Tom not say that to himself while he was driving in to be "fired"?
That’s about as funny as a screen door on a battleship
I still say this line but people don't always pick up on it.
Andre Vrdoljak Clearly +Heavy Metal Rules didn't pick up on it, either. Maybe he never saw Back to the Future.
He's so entertaining to listen to, I can picture everything he's saying.
I met stoltz in Dublin Ireland circa 1997-8 it was lunch time and we were both eating - i looked over and said your a good actor - he replied - “I know”
Needless to say my eyes rolled
ok that story is actually pretty funny
he's a very arrogant pereon supposedly
Maybe he was just "taking the piss". When in Ireland, right?
Did he said that in a ironically voice?
And then he made out with you like Han Solo
"....Everybody call me Marty, except Leah who's playing my mom who I'm trying to make out with off camera...." Well, Eric got his wish two years later in "Some Kind of Wonderful."
Carissa Conti 🤣 Classic.
OOOOHHHHN! Girl,. You good!!! Very impressive. ;) love that movie,. Serious Stoltz, worked for that script!
My GF and I went on our first date to see Tom at a comedy club called The Funny Bone in Hartford, CT. Great show, and we met him afterwords, great guy as well
He has obviously told that story a thousand times (literally), but he does tell it very well.
An engaging and entertaining man.
Let's face it. If they hadn't brought in MJF, nobody would even remember BTTF and there sure wouldn't have been a part 2 or 3.
It`s possible, I just think the way Stoltz was fired as soon they needed a bigger budget and reshooting and able to get Fox was sleazy. Then again, he got responsability too.
People would remember it but it wouldn't be a classic.
Eric is a great actor but he's not the right Marty
@magnetothewhite so do I, him and Johnny Depp. But Fox was the right guy and nobody could come close.
@Dream Theory Exactly, nobody wants to work with a duck.
Thomas was great on Freaks and Geeks as the gym teacher.
I enjoyed him in Zoey 101 as the gym teacher...and in all of his spongebob performances
Freaks and Geeks was on the year i graduated (2000) and its such an underrated show....so many known actors in that show.....it shouldnt have been cancelled after one season...all 18 episodes are great....
Freaks and Geeks was awesome. I could totally relate to Lindsay. I felt like they based her character on my junior high years. I had no idea Tom was the gym teacher. Now I'll have to try and catch an episode somewhere. I just can't see it, but it's been a long time since I've watched any episodes. Edit: You're right. Just watched this clip about 'The Prank Call'. It's comedy gold. th-cam.com/video/7_HJ67QYrjQ/w-d-xo.html
he was great in that. it was an unexpected role for him as i thought he was going to play another asshole but it turned out he's playing a real nice and sympathetic guy.
He's fantastic. One of the most memorable parts of the series was him trying desperately to connect with Martin Starr.
"the Rubik's cube in my brain" 🤣 haha thank you Tom, in addition to your fantastic and irreplaceable performances in BttF
I could listen to Tom talking about his career all day long 🙋🏻♀️💕
I really liked this interview. It was an honest, no holds barred, frank discussion of what was going on from Tom's point of view and what he observed on and off the set.
Best movie of all time❤
My mother grew up in the 50's sweetest memory is seeing this with her when i was home on leave from the Marines in 1986.❤❤
Probably the most amusing "behind the scenes" storys I've ever heard!
We're gonna method this thing out in the parking lot.....classic..lol
Ironically Eric got his piece of Thomas F Wilson in the diner scene and school cafeteria, but Tom sadly didn't get his piece of Eric Stoltz afterwards, lol. No wonder he chews him out here so badly!
I never liked the whole Producers/Stoltz issue (I think the producers are wankers, mostly) but if there is someone with a credible beef is Tom here. Fair game.
@@MisterWhat To be fair, Eric was hard on Tom because Tom got a bit too rough with Crispin during the audition stage. Eric and Crispin were already friends since they had attended the same drama class (they even acted in an aspirin commercial where they played brothers).
"Since when did you become the physical type?" My favorite Tom Wilson line in BTTF2
His performances in the trilogy was phenomenal. What a great human being too. I would say Darth Vader and Biff Tannen are the two best villains of all time. Hands down.
Hans Grubur says no.
Hannibal Lecter says Wall Hallo
Shooter McGavin eats pieces of shit like you for breakfast.
Spoken like a person who never watched a movie made before 1980
@@PlayerToBeNamedLater1973 Fredo Corleone? Sport from Taxi Driver? Citizen Kane? Who? Plus Vader first appeared in 1977.
Just watched Back to the Future last night! Tom is always so nice in every interview I’ve ever heard him in. Sounds like a great guy
Wilson sure knows how to tell a story. I could listen to him for hours.
Tom Wilson sounds like the kind of guy that would be first on your list to go grab some beers with on a Sunday afternoon.
Tom Wilson deserves an Oscar for his amazing performance in all three movies.
Tom Wilson is awesome
Tom Wilson is hilarious. Super insightful.
"Live by the method, die by the method"
Lol
I loved him in the Wing Commander series of games as Maniac.
David Smith But didn't vagabond lose the will to live after maniac beat him in a game of cards? 😉
Play along with him... This guy's a loon.
When did Maniac have time to play cards. He was too busy polishing Col. Blair's rank insignia.
Pffft. No I don't have anything better to do! Now, let me tell you that story again...
Tom tells great stories. I loved hearing this.
The producers refusing to tell him if he still has the job over the phone has got to be one of the most stressful feelings ever
It sounds like they probably had other things on their mind....
god complex.
Release the whole of Eric Stoltz' cut and deepfake the rest.
Andrew Gold they said in a documentary that the would eventually release Eric stoltz scenes someday he didn’t say when but I think they will release it on either July 3rd 2025 or July 3rd 2035
@@margaretharold5226 I think they said that as a joke
They would be a bit disrespectful to the actor tho
It was the original timeline before Marty became his own dad
That would actually be illegal for various copyright and contractual binding reasons.
Man I love Tom Wilson--he's honest, funny & shares the best stuff :)
For me this guy WAS back to the future. He was amazing in all of them. So underrated 👏
To me, this funny story ends up hilariously.
Gotta love Tom Wilson.
Stoltz and Lea Thompson played lovers in Some Kind Of Wonderful, shot around this time, so it makes sense they'd have a thing going on BTTF.
Rolling Ormond Lea has said that she was dating Dennis Quaid at the time.
Some Sort of Wonderful came out two years later in 1987. They were also in a movie together a year BEFORE BTTF called The Wild Life. It was a deliberate choice.
Some kind of wonderful is a great movie
Toms performance in BTTF2 is just amazing. Four characters! Griff was so cool. I can’t imagine anyone else, he made the movie!
And Billy Zane was one of his Biff's minions!
@77Wells yup, just as was stated
"Now son we can do this the easy way or the hard way" *BONK* "The easy way"
And Elijah Wood and Pink were at the 80's cafe in BTTF2.
What a terrific interview.
This is a great story. I need to look up more Tom Wilson interviews.
I’ve seen that before about the scene where Marty punches Biff in the cafe, that it is still Stoltz fist in that scene. He confirmed it here.
I really wish they shot that parking lot scene at the dance with Stoltz.
I worked with Eric on Caprica... he was tough to work with both as an actor and director.
It would be interesting to see BTTF with his scenes.
Tom is versatile, funny and has great presence. Loved him in this trilogy.
What an awesome story teller , absolutely brilliant!
I can’t imagine anyone doing a better job playing Biff than Tom Wilson did. And Michael J. Fox was perfect as Marty McFly.
BTTF was the first movie my new GF (now wife of 36+ years) saw together, back in 1986. It holds a very special place in our hearts.
I wonder if TW ever got to do the scene where he yanks Marty out of the car with Stoltz? That would be an outtake worth seeing!
He clearly states he did not in this audio clip…
BTTF was no longer in theaters by '86. It left Theaters after the Holidays of '85.
@@Tornado1994 - Maybe where you live(d). We were in Calgary, Canada, and I can assure you it was still running in theatres in January of 1986.
I could listen to Tom tell stories all day
Tom Wilson carried those movies. He was great! 💕👍
May 2024 and still loving this movie!
Thomas F. Wilson was cast as Biff Tannen because the producers felt that the original choice, J. J. Cohen, wasn't physically imposing enough to bully Stoltz. Cohen was recast as Skinhead, one of Biff's cohorts. Had Fox been cast from the beginning, Cohen probably would have won the part because he was sufficiently taller than Fox.
Cohen should have a beer with Pete Best sometime.
Tom Wilson was in my mind the best thing about BTTF. He played every version of Biff to perfection.
Tom’s a good story teller. “We’re gonna totally method this thing” 👊😂😂😂
"Oh, Eric is fired. Now, what is the bad news?"
Saw Tom at the Improv. he killed it! not a bad singer, too!
63worldseries Does he get to do some Biff? What are you looking at butthead?!
Shame Tom didn't get to "totally method out" on Stoltz.
I LOVE THIS ❤. Tom went to my high school Radnor and came back to speak to us
This movie needs to come to light, I want to see it.
How bad does he have to suck if they are willing to film almost the ENTIRE movie all over again?
That One Guy Having to film the entire film again doesn't mean the actor sucks (everybody on the set agreed that Eric was great when performing, but he jus wasn't right for the role. Eric also agreed on that). It'd be weird to see Marty McFly suddenly have a facial reconstruction AND have a different tone and personality halfway through the film.
I dont mean sucks as an actor, I mean suck as Marty. And where can I read or hear the interview with Eric where he says that? Ive heard hes talked about it but cant find where.
I read that he had told a fellow director that he felt wrong for the part given the direction the film was going.
I was only watching BTTF the other day and thought 'wow, Michael J. Fox's charisma is off the scale'. It's a whacky tale that works with Fox and with anyone else it probably would have just been seen as a teen movie.
Yeah, Michael J. Fox has this crazy likeability factor to him that few people in Hollywood have. I would watch Secret of my Success a lot as a kid, not because I liked the movie, but because I liked Michael so much. Eric is a great actor, but hes too serious and straight for this role.
They need to release the Eric Stolz cut, just like WB released the Richard Donner Superman 2 cut.
I really enjoy listening to Tom Wilson, especially about BTTF. I love that this exists on YT.
very good segment of interview
He was the best actor of BTTF movies! He had to play himself in different timelines. all his impersonation were excellent!!
Tom Wilson is so under appreciated in this series. Not that he gets negative comments or anything, but he was just so good. He had to play middle aged jerk Biff, young Biff, middle aged nice Biff, old man Biff, Donald Trump Biff, and Mad Dog across 3 movies. And I buy every one of those characters, every one you can see him having a blast with and helping make the movies that much more memorable.
No he’s not ! He’s the most quotable character in the series. Stop
Don't forget he was also Griff in the second film.
@@bluebear1985 He could be in a remake of Interview with a Vampire & add a twist to it. Or play the warden *or* the guard - Clancy Brown's role - in The Shawshank Redemption.
This guy’s artwork is incredible too. Excellent artist and actor.
What a great interview. Tom Wilson is awesome.
Tom Wilson was great as Biff. I can't imagine anyone else but Michael J Fox as Marty McFly. Eric Stoltz was very good in "Mask," but he was miscast in "Back To The Future."
That was some really deep dirt. Still moist.
Wilson is awesome.
Least it wasn't manure. He hates manure.
hilarious. one of the best actor interviews i heard.
Great interview. Thanks!
Look at Eric's career. He didn't fade away but was never the new big thing he thought he was😂
The guy was brilliant and should of been more famous than he is
Should have.
Tom is also an artist and I met him at a small gallery in Manhattan Beach, nice guy.
Yes, I was at one of his showings once too and purchased on of his larger and more expensive pieces. He was there and I had him sign it with a sharpie in large letters right across the center of the painting. I still have it hanging above my bed to this very day.
Hey Mcfly, I thought I told you never to come in here.
I get your car towed all the way to your house and all you've got for me is a LIGHT beer?
You Irish Bug
what are you looking at butthead? eh, say hi to your mom for me....
Well it's gonna cost you, how much money you got on you?
We’ll How Much Do You Want, Biff?
Reposting this from my reply in another comment:
Honestly, I feel both Stoltz and MJF are amazing and talented actors and they were capable of providing to the directors what they felt, portrayed and gave life to the fictional character "Marty McFly", albeit in different styles. We cannot really say for certain whos the better actor as the footage hasnt been out yet, but from what I'm seeing here, I feel Stotlz wasnt clearly directed well enough to fit the comedy genre, and by the looks of it, he probably made the character Luke Skywalker-esque (serious, soft spoken, humorous at times), which still wouldve worked for the movie as what Joseph says that he played those scenes well.
In Michael's case, hes a completely different can of worms compared to Eric. I think the reason why it worked so well for the movie is because of his charisma and the way he acted out scenes and situations if done differently would off-put the audience, which in this case is the "mom-is-in-love-with-me" subplot, which I felt was done exceedingly well because of Lea Thompson and Michael J. Fox's excellent comedic timing and interesting chemistry, especially how they handled such a weird and potentially contreversial subplot in such a lighthearted and comedic fashion that the audience usually wouldnt think that deep into it.
Im pretty sure the movie would be seen different if Eric was in it because I dont think he can be able to pull off that incestual subplot that well as Michael did, but I still wouldve think the movie wouldve gone well with him, since Eric is also a talented actor and knows how to handle comedy well (Pulp Fiction is a nice example), but maybe not to the instantly-likeable and overly charismatic/comedic degree as MJF which the directors liked more.
Tom is wonderful in “Zach Stone is Gonna Be Famous” for all you folks that ❤ his acting
This is incredible to listen to!