You know that scene in “Back to the Future” when Marty expresses his insecurities about his future in music and why he’s afraid to send his audition tape to some people in the industry? (“What if they say, ‘Get out of here, kid. You have no future’?”). the point where he couldn’t tell if his performance as Marty was any good. As someone who writes and edits for a living, I know that feeling all too well.
That finally changed when Fox unintentionally caught “Back to the Future” on TV a few years ago:
“It was Christmas. We were decorating the tree. […] I went to get something in the kitchen and I was out for a long time. Tracy [Fox’s wife Tracy Pollan] He came and found me and I was watching TV. I said, ‘Look, ‘Back to the Future’ [is] on TV! You know what, I’m really good at this! She said, ‘Yes, we know.’ ‘Well, why didn’t you tell me?!'”
Echoing Marty’s lack of self-confidence, Fox feared his performance would turn out terrible, so much so that the actor said, “I’d go back to the back of the pack and start over.” Fox also didn’t necessarily assume he had anything to do with the film’s success. To be fair, the actor (then in his 20s) had other concerns on his mind at the time. He remembered being in London when he heard the exciting news:
“My agent said, ‘You don’t get it. This is the greatest thing in the world.’ My first instinct was, ‘I have to go back to America! There are girls to meet!'”
Spoken like a real life Marty McFly.