Michael J Fox and Christopher Lloyd reunited at Comic-Con – and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house

You don’t have to be a Back to the Future fan to find the reunion of its two iconic stars profoundly moving, though it definitely helps, as visitors to Comic-Con in New York discovered on Sunday.

The audience was left fighting back tears as Michael J. Fox, 61, and Christopher Lloyd, 83, embraced onstage, 37 years after the Sci-Fi classic’s release.

Seeing the pair, who will forever be remembered as Marty McFly and Emmett “Doc” Brown, side by side, was a reminder of how friendship transcends time and space – even if you don’t have a Delorean.

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The old friends and colleagues appeared at the comic book convention to discuss the beloved movie trilogy which propelled them to stardom back in 1985. Fox also spoke with warmth about his Parkinson’s condition, which prompted his retirement from acting in 2020.

Fielding questions from the crowd, the pals reflected on their first meeting, after Fox was brought in to replace actor Eric Stolz as Marty McFly after several weeks of filming.

“I didn’t know Michael other than hearing about him, and I felt that I had barely made it through the six weeks, and now I was going to have to do it again?” Lloyd explained, as reported by UpRoxx.

Fortunately for him, and for the history of cinema: “There was immediate chemistry, as they say.”

Other topics covered by the legendary duo included the new Back to the Future musical, which they praised as not a simple tribute act to the film.

“They could have fallen into a trap imitating us,” Fox said, as reported by AV Club, “But they made the characters fully realised on their own. I’m gonna go when I come to New York.”

One question, which delighted fans, was whether they’d ever swiped anything from the movies’ sets. Lloyd admitted to taking an old Western-themed shirt while filming Back To The Future Part III, adding that his wife doesn’t let him wear it.

Fox also discussed his work with the Michael J. Fox Foundation, which he launched following his Parkinson’s diagnosis in the early 1990s, and which is dedicated to finding a cure for the disease.

Reflecting on the ways in which friends and fans have supported and driven efforts to raise funds and awareness around the condition, Fox said proudly: “Parkinson’s is the gift that keeps on taking, but it’s a gift, and I wouldn’t change it for anything.

“People like Chris have been there a lot for me, and so many of you have. It’s not about what I have, it’s about what I’ve been given: the voice to get this done, and help people out.”

The Q&A ended with the pals being asked to share some pearls of wisdom and, naturally, both opted for film quotes.

Fox went with his favourite movie, Dr. Strangelove, citing: “You can’t fight it here, this is the war room!”.

Meanwhile Lloyd really gave the people what they wanted: “It was said once in a movie – the future is what you make it.”

We’re not crying, you’re crying.

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