Marty McFly is Michael J. Fox’s most famous role. Though he’s done plenty more, he will always be remembered, and rightfully so, for playing Marty, but even within the “Back to the Future” trilogy he plays a couple of roles.
Not only does he play himself as well as his older self in 2015, but he also portrayed both of his children — Marty Jr. and Marlene. In addition, he played his own ancestor Seamus in 1885, and finally, he portrayed his own great-grandfather, Seamus’s son, William, for a picture in “Part III”, and also voiced him in the Telltale game based on the series.
How Many Pines?
The changes wrought through time by Marty's antics are one of the big problems the movie presents as drama – if his father and mother don't get together, he will vanish. But there's more.
At the beginning of the film, Doc Brown and Marty experiment with the DeLorean at Twin Pines Mall. When Marty goes back in time, he crashes through one of two pines at the edge of the farming property, and then all the way at the end of the film the name of the mall has been changed to Lone Pine Mall. It's hard to catch if you aren't paying attention, but an incredible detail nonetheless.
Greasing the Wheels
As Doc Brown and Marty are working feverishly to pull off their plan to send Marty back to when he came from, a police officer wanders up and begins to wonder if they have the right permits for their “weather experiment.”
As Marty works on getting all of his details of the night right – the plan to endear Lorraine to George, fighting off Biff, and then getting back in time to help Doc – Doc can be seen taking something out of his wallet, after which the officer has no problems. Permits? Not exactly. Instead, a little bit of cold hard cash keeps justice moving.
I'm a Nice Guy! Honest!
Thomas F. Wilson plays Biff. The megalomaniac bully. It's by far his most well-known role, and, as it turns out, he's the exact opposite of this violent, mean character. He actually drew upon his real-life high school experiences of being bullied in order to play Biff, who practically turned into the quintessential high school bully.
He wrote a comedic song about how he isn't Biff and has even taken to carrying small laminated cards that have the answers to the most common questions he gets, such as “What is Michael J. Fox like” or “was that real manure.” (Nice, and no.)
Deleted Scenes
Ever wondered why George and Marty eat peanut brittle in "Back to the Future"? Well, the first movie has eight deleted scenes. These include Marty asking a woman to pinch him after he lands in 1955 and a longer “Darth Vader” scene.
There's also a longer scene in 1985 where Marty tries to get George to stand up for himself when a child selling peanut brittle comes to the door. Instead, George crumples like a cheap suit made out of a house of cards, and that, reader, is why George and Marty are enjoying peanut brittle in one scene.