Almost forty years after Back to the Future initially redefined the concept of time in the pop culture, Michael J. Fox has found himself looking back with a more subdued and contemplative prism. In going over the film again to write his memoir Future Boy, the actor has found a great deal to his surprise that he has always had a strong admiration of Crispin Glover, the actor who played George McFly, a father to Marty McFly, a clumsy, endearing father. What started as a strictly business partnership in the mid-80s has, decades later, evolved into an expression of personal appreciation, which Fox simply could not help but express in the first place.

Fox is 64; she has entered the memory phase of life where recollection is not necessarily nostalgia but a kind of tallying. His book was not a technical exercise, it became a kind of emotional exercise since he had to rewatch Back to the Future. During this, Fox learned that although the film has been dissected a thousand times over with regards to its science fiction thrill and cultural influence it is some of its most poignant moments which lie in the nuances of performance. To him, a work of Crispin Glover as George McFly is one of those few performances which get richer with time.

Fox has recently disclosed that he had penned a letter to Glover, now 61, in which he has told him what he had never gotten around to saying during the hectic filming in 1985. In his memoir, Fox is not hesitant to declare that production deadlines, youthful dissipation, and the very velocity of the Hollywood life did not allow to find some time to formulate thoughtful acclaim at the time. Later, when he looked at the finished work with the eyes of an experienced viewer, did he realize how much the role of Glover played in the center of the film.

The performance he did was deeper and richer, as Fox wrote in Future Boy, the more I see it. Actually, I jump over my pieces of writing to see yours. Admittedly, we did not speak much in the course of production, so I have never had an opportunity to mention that you are a brilliant actor, and I was excited to play with you. The words are not only striking with their honesty, but also humility. It is uncommon when one actor who is so closely identified with playing a legendary character takes the time to step aside in order to freely give credit to the performance of another actor.

That respect had not been immediate. Fox even goes further and dates it back to earlier days when Back to the Future became a world phenomenon. The two actors would also appear in 1984 on theFamily Ties sitcom show in an episode called Birthday Boy. Glover appeared as a friend of Alex P. Keaton, the character of Fox. At that moment, Fox had realized that there was something wrong with the timing and presence of Glover in his jokes.

Looking back at that experience, Fox noted that, Crispin, as an actor, was not conscious of the audience. He was not attempting to squeeze the laughs. He was simply funny that way and he flattened it each time. This naturalistic method of action devoid of self-consciousness and acting, would come to be both a hallmark of Glover as George McFly.

George McFly would have easily become a caricature in the film Back to the Future. Rather, Glover endowed the character with vulnerability, physical clumsiness and emotional sincerity. His fidgety laughs, cowering posture and awkward speech patterns were not merely used to get cheap laughs; they were the keystones of a character whose development was not forced. Development of George, as a confident and self assured man towards the end of the film, comes out as believable, exactly because of the richness that Glover had brought to his previous scenes.

Fox has remarked that when Back to the Future was being filmed, the cast relationship was uncharacteristic. Although Christopher Lloyd was an experienced actor, most of the other actors such as Fox and Glover were still emerging stars. The stress to deliver in conjunction with the hectic schedule of Fox balancing between the television and film business meant that there was not much time to rehearse and discuss the character in depth. Consequently, Fox confesses that he was not in a position to prepare completely to work with Glover at the moment.

Such unpreparedness, however, did not take away the effect of the performance of Glover. To say the least, it does emphasize the intuitive and closed nature of his work. Even today, Fox has indicated that he is distracted by his scenes to the quiet genius of Glover whenever watching the film. That is a heavy burden to an actor who uses it to consider the career-defining role.

The absence of Crispin Glover in the second and third parts of Back to the Future has been an established part of Hollywood folklore. Among the reasons he was not willing to come back to play sequels were reported creative differences which was at the time a source of debate and controversy. Those conflicts are not mentioned in the recent set of thoughts of Fox, but the words are written in a way that is likely to imply a new appreciation of the artistic integrity and uniqueness of Glover.

The delayed show of gratitude by Fox is something human. Creative spaces that are fast-paced, tend to value things implicitly, presumed instead of expressed. The letter by Fox is a time-lapse reminder that time can be enlightening and that even though it took decades, recognition is still important. It also re-examines Back to the Future not only as a cultural event, but as a bunch of personal artistic work, which is worthy of attention, regardless of its box-office sales.

The film has been widely regarded as one of the well-crafted blockbusters of its time, and the publicity of Back to the Future has been incredibly positive. However, the thoughts of Fox challenge viewers to go beyond the show and reflect on the performances which provided the story with emotional background. In the case of George McFly by Glower, it is possible to see the character whose impact is felt even after the DeLorean is gone.