At that moment, Michael J Fox knew he was destined for success

(Image credit: Paul Hudson)

Fri November 1, 2024, 3:15 p.m., UK

By the late 1980s, Michael J Fox was one of the biggest stars of his generation, and it had been clear for some time that he would take that path.

He first attracted attention as an actor in the successful sitcom Family tiesand it goes without saying that his notoriety increased exponentially when Robert Zemeckis finally got his wish and cast Fox as Marty McFly Back to the future after the infamous Eric Stoltz experiment obviously wouldn't work.

As the decade came to an end, and Family ties After the show went on the air, Fox already had a complete show Back to the future trilogy under its belt and was also the headliner of the box office bonanza Teen Wolfthat is enormously profitable The secret of my successand Brian De Palma's celebrated flop War victims.

As the 1990s dawned, Fox could have confidently proclaimed that he had made it, but he was so confident that he had the necessary intangible assets to reach the industry pinnacle that he knew he could do it long beforehand would Family ties had even aired its first episode in September 1982.

Fox made his feature film debut when he was just 18, and he was nowhere near the top of the bill in the 1980 Disney comedy Midnight madness. A listless adventure about a nighttime scavenger hunt hardly marked the young man out as a talent to keep an eye on, but the misery of his off-screen situation convinced him that he would have it better than any of his co-stars.

“I remember sitting around with all these actors and thinking, 'Why is this working for me and not for them?'” he wondered diversity. “It's not that I wished them misfortune or bad luck; I wished them all the success in the world. But I knew I could do it. God knows why.”

Fox himself admitted that he was “living on the edge,” had “no money, no connections,” and was “literally dumpster diving in search of food.” And yet, on the set of his very first film, he realized that everyone involved in it Midnight madnesshe would be the one to make something of himself.

No offense to the rest of the cast, but he was right. Thanks to the enduring appeal of Back to the futureThere are several generations of moviegoers who know exactly who Michael J Fox is, and that will continue to be the case for a long time, but the same goes for him too Midnight madness Colleagues Debra Clinger, Eddie Deezen, Brad Welkin or Stephen Furst?