Michael J. Fox says Crispin Glover ‘created friction’ on Back to the Future set

Michael J. Fox has said Crispin Glover “created friction” on the Back to the Future set.

The 64-year-old actor portrayed Marty McFly in the iconic 1985 sci-fi blockbuster, and Fox has now claimed Glover - who played his on-screen father George McFly - stirred up tension by taking his character into his own hands.

Writing in his new memoir Future Boy, Fox said: “Nobody puts Crispin in a box. But that didn’t prevent the camera crew from literally building a box around him.

“As George McFly, Crispin had his own ideas as to how and where his character should move.”

Fox recounted how Glover, 61, wouldn’t stay on his mark while filming a scene of dialogue.

He continued: “As Crispin approached the camera, he was meant to stay in a lane between the clothesline and me. But Crispin had a different plan.

“My guess is that he saw George as a wanderer, a free spirit who traveled in random patterns - in this case, perpendicular to the camera.”

The Family Ties actor added the crew “fabricated a miniature corral made of sandbags and C-stands, trapping Crispin into adhering to the parameters of the shot”.

Even so, Fox emphasized he “loved working” with the Willard star.

He said of Glover: “His talent was unquestionable, although his methods sometimes created friction. Still, I respected how he remained true to George (as he understood and embodied him).

“I knew Crispin Glover prior to Back to the Future. I wouldn’t, however, say I was prepared to act with him - there’s no way to prepare for Crispin.

“With Chris Lloyd, I had an inkling of what he was up to. Neither he nor Crispin ever did the same thing the same way twice.”

In Back to the Future, teenager Marty McFly (Fox) is accidentally sent from 1985 to 1955 in a time-traveling DeLorean built by eccentric scientist Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd), where he must ensure his parents fall in love before returning to the future.

The film also starred Lea Thompson as Lorraine Baines McFly, Thomas F. Wilson as Biff Tannen and Claudia Wells as Jennifer Parker.

Following Back to the Future, Glover was recast for the 1989 and 1990 sequels after a reported pay dispute, with Jeffrey Weissman taking his place as George McFly.

Despite the popularity of the series, director Robert Zemeckis and writer Bob Gale have remained adamant they will never make another Back to the Future movie.

Speaking at Universal Fan Fest Nights about a possible fourth film, Gale said: “I don’t know why they keep talking about that! I mean, do they think that if they say it enough times, we’re going to actually do it?

“I mean, it’s like they know in every interview people say, ‘Oh Bob, when is there going to be a Back to the Future 4?’ Never. ‘When is there going to be a prequel?’ Never. ‘When is there going to be a spinoff?’ Never.

“It’s just fine the way it is. It’s not perfect, but as Bob Zemeckis used to say, ‘It’s perfect enough.’”