While Michael J. Fox has gone on to become an established cinematic superstar thanks to ‘Back to the Future,’ before the role, the actor had to fight tooth and nail to overcome the resistance and skepticism of the TV executives who refused to see his star quality.
Before becoming Marty McFly, the actor starred in another groundbreaking sitcom called ‘Family Ties.’ The immensely popular show ran for seven seasons and won five Emmy Awards, cementing Fox’s fame and popularity as an actor. However, despite its immense success, during its first season, the network’s executives plotted to find a replacement for the actor.
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The most prominent opponent to Fox’s rise to stardom was the very network itself. Recalling the difficult days that followed the creation of the pilot for ‘Family Ties,’ the actor revealed that the industry’s biggest names were campaigning against him.
His talent and charisma were not the only things the show’s creators and executives did not believe in—the very creative architect of ‘Family Ties‘ himself opposed having Fox in the lead role. Because of a lack of faith in him, the actor had to rely solely on his own beliefs about his appearance to promote a hit TV show.
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The strongest of those who opposed Fox was the head of the entire NBC Network, Brandon Tartikoff, who was responsible for creating ‘Miami Vice‘ and ‘The Golden Girls.’
As soon as the network officially decided to pick the sitcom for its first season, the network chief ordered the producers to replace the actor. Later, Fox would recall the reason why the CEO of the company told producers that: “I love the show, you’ve just got to get rid of the kid. I can’t see that face on a lunchbox.”
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Brandon Tartikoff was not the only one who was reluctant to support Fox at the beginning. In fact, Gary David Goldberg, the co-creator of the show, also shared the same opinion—he admitted that he did not want Fox to play Alex P. Keaton in the show.
Despite opposition from both the network chief and the showrunner, the casting directors managed to keep Fox in the cast. Eventually, he turned this character into the show’s core and went on to receive three consecutive Emmys for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.
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However, Fox was not content with proving his opponents’ doubts wrong simply by having good ratings and receiving awards—he even met his future wife, Tracy Pollan, on set when the latter joined the cast as his girlfriend.
Even after the actor had already proven himself with a Golden Globe and had become a household name from the show, he could not forget the personal slight he received from the network chief. He waited for a long time before he got enough power to take his revenge.
He revealed that, years later, once ‘Back to the Future‘ had smashed box-office records and ‘Family Ties‘ had hit number two on television, he made Brandon a custom gift. “I made Brandon a lunchbox with my picture on it,” he said. “I wrote, ‘This is for you to put your crow in. Love, me.’”
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