Lea Thompson told Woman's World that "people are used to me getting older" after she "played 17, 47 and 77" in the Back to the Future franchise
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Thompson portrayed Marty McFly's mother, Lorraine, in the beloved films
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"It’s hilarious that I’ve been playing the mother of a 17-year-old for 40 years!" she joked
While aging in Hollywood can be scary,Lea Thompsonknows that fans have already seen her at nearly every stage inBack to the Future.
In an interview withWoman's World,the 64-year-old actress reflected on her decades-long career, including her breakout role in the cult classic.
“It’s a gift to have been part of such an iconic movie that’s loved and recognized all over the world,” Thompson told the outlet.
"It’s interesting, because my character got to be 17, 47 and 77, so people are used to me getting older," she added. "It’s hilarious that I’ve been playing the mother of a 17-year-old for 40 years! I really cornered the market there.”
Thompson starred opposite Michael J. Fox in the 1985 blockbuster. She portrayed time-traveling teen Marty McFly’s mother. The actress was supposed to be in her late 40s in the 1985 section of the movie, only to portray a teenage version of herself while filming the 1955 parts. In the franchise's second installation, Thompson was once again transformed well beyond her years, filming scenes as if she were in her 70s.
“The funny thing about doing that old-age makeup was that I could take it off at the end of the day! Now I use some beautiful skincare,” she joked toWoman's World.
Thompson and Fox were both 23 when they filmed the firstBack to the Futuremovie.
Thompson admitted in 2024 on theStill Here Hollywoodpodcast that she originally didn’t hit it off with Fox when making the movie because she "was friends with Eric Stoltz, who had just gotten fired.” She and Stolz had worked together on 1984'sThe Wild Life.
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While Fox was the first choice to play the McFly, directorRobert Zemeckiscast Stoltz when the actor was unavailable due to his role onFamily Ties. After filming began in November 1984, however, the filmmakers realized they’d made a mistake and went back to their original casting,replacing Stoltz with Fox.
The casting snafu wasn’t the only reason that Thompson didn't immediately warm up to Fox. At the time, she explained that there was an industry difference between movie stars and television stars.
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“I remember specifically being really snooty because there was a big division between movie stars and TV stars at that point,” Thompson said. “I remember being like, ‘He's just a TV star, and I'm a movie star. I was inJaws 3D.’ I think it took me a while to warm up to him, but he was so funny and so fun to act with.”
“I had done some scenes with Eric already and then had to redo them with Michael, so I could see how they were completely different scenes,” Thompson continued.
“When we were shooting and they replaced Eric Stoltz with Michael Fox, six weeks in, I was like, ‘Oh, they must like what they're doing because nobody does that. That's very expensive,’ ” she explained.
Thompson “had a feeling” the movie was going to be a hit, but “no one knew that it was gonna be what it was.”
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