Back to Back

As Back to the Future hits 25 Years, director robert Zemeckis gives us 1.21 gigawatts of inside info.

The Time-traveling Car

“We picked a DeLorean because we wanted the folks in 1955 to think it was from space. We spent lots of time thinking of numerology that felt poetic. Like, 1.21 gigawatts rolls off your tongue better than 785.53. Same with 88 miles per hour. Rather than sounding like a bunch of tech talk, they’re numbers the audience remembered.”

The Other Marty

“Eric Stoltz was originally cast as Marty. Why did I recast the part? I realized that as great an actor as Eric is, his comedy sensibilities weren’t the same as mine. It was a very painful thing, and I felt horrible about it. The fault was totally mine as a novice director. There are a couple of clips of his scenes on the DVD. This edition has it all.”

The Over-worked Star

“Michael J. Fox was shooting Family Ties during the day, so


we shot the entire movie at night except for on weekends. When people look at films that are wildly entertaining to watch, the comment you get is, ‘That must have been really fun to make!’ Back to the Future really wasn’t fun to make at all, and it was a good thing Michael was young and energetic. He’s not singing, but that’s him playing guitar.”

The Sexy Mom

“Lea Thompson playing Lorraine as this sex kitten made her scenes so hot. She went for it. I found it fascinating that the line, ‘Are you telling me that my mother’s got the hots for me?’ was in every TV spot and ad. The marketing department must have known that concept would touch the world.”



Back to the Future: 25th Anniversary Edition hits shelves October 26.