It was a joyous atmosphere as the cast of Back to the Future reunited in London today (July 17).
Michael J Fox, Christopher Lloyd and Lea Thompson were all present as the stars of the classic 1985 film shared the stage at London Film & Comic Con to commemorate Back to the Future's 30th anniversary.
Christopher Lloyd, Michael J. Fox and Lea Thompson at the #BackToTheFuture press conference #LondonFilmAndComicCon pic.twitter.com/dBS0FW4G93
— michaeljfox.org (@MichaelJFoxOrg) July 17, 2015
Asked by a fan in attendance what made Marty McFly such a beloved screen figure, Fox pointed to writers Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale in terms of really shaping the character.
"It's [Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale's] fault. They created a really interesting character," Fox explained. "What [Christopher Lloyd] does in the movie that people don't really appreciate is that he lays all the exposition… All the stuff that's brilliant is also serving the story.
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"With Marty, it's the same thing. It's his curiosity. He's just a cipher for the audience to take in what's happening and see their feelings reflected back. I don't know if I did that on my own, as I just fell into the rhythm that Bob and Bob created.
"So, Marty was just everyman. Marty was every kid. He was just supposed to represent everyone's reaction to what was happening."
What do the cast of Back to the Future look like now? Michael J Fox, Christopher Lloyd, more
Christopher Lloyd also shared his thoughts on the "enduring appeal" of mad scientist Doc Brown, a character so popular that he even reprised it for last year's comedy A Million Ways to Die in the West.
"Enduring appeal?" he balked in good humour at the fan's question. "Everybody dreams about time travel… I think the movie kind of capitalises on that rather well. And then there's the relationship between [Doc Brown and Marty McFly].
"I don't know if I can define it within three words… Doc kind of opens up a vision of the world, in certain ways. So it's kind of a classic mentor-young person relationship."
The cast of Back to the Future will be in London throughout the weekend to take part in the convention's 'Return to the Future' festivities.
Pressed for time? Watch Back to the Future in 88 seconds below:
Justin is a freelance entertainment journalist and writer. He first joined Digital Spy as a freelance entertainment reporter in 2010 and also worked as a sub-editor for the brand, serving as Night News Editor from 2016 to 2024. Over more than a decade, Justin has covered numerous major entertainment events from the US and has interviewed a wide-ranging group of public figures, from comedian Steve Coogan to icons from the Star Trek universe, cast members from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and reality stars from numerous Real Housewives cities and the Below Deck franchise. Justin has also been on the ground to cover major pop culture events like the Star Wars Celebration and the D23 Expo. He's written for titles across the Hearst network, plus the likes of CBR and Us Weekly.
