Best Seat in the House by David McGiffert

Author:David McGiffert
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: BearManor Media
Published: 2022-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

With Bob Z. on the Hill Valley set at Universal Studios – Back to the Future II

Photo – Ralph Nelson

Checking the video playback. L-R: 2nd A.D. Cara Giallanza, Michael Fox, me, Dolly Grip Dave Wachtman, D.P. Dean Cundey, Writer/Dir. Bob Zemeckis, Co-Writer/Producer Bob Gale. Back to the Future II –

Photo – Ralph Nelson

44. The Back to the Future Trilogy Tom Wilson

Among the many spectacular hallmarks of the Back to the Future trilogy is the electrifying performance by Tom Wilson as Biff Tannen, Griff, and Buford “Mad Dog” Tannen. When people watch any of the three films, they are usually aware that Michael Fox is playing Marty McFly and Christopher Lloyd is playing Doc, but when Tom Wilson explodes onto the screen it’s easy to forget there is an actor inhabiting the character. The believability of Wilson’s performance provides one of the most dynamic elements in each film’s storyline; a potent and compelling adversary whose threatening presence helps to propel the narrative and allows Marty and Doc to react in ways an audience can identify with – we have all had Biff ’s in our lives.

Unsurprisingly, Wilson put an immense amount of thought and energy into the way he approached his upcoming scenes. Having to play multiple characters was an enormous challenge. To help keep them separate, Tom color-coded his characters and their age in each of the time periods. Then he gave them specific mannerisms mainly by differentiating each of character vocally with his tone of voice, and physically in the way he carried himself, even down to the set of his jaw. Years after the filming, when we discussed his performance, he told me, “All you can do is prepare the best you can for each scene, keeping the character in mind. Then when you get to the set, that preparation lets you fly.”

During Back to the Future III, Tom predictably poured himself into his training as a cowboy, not only by learning to rope and ride, but he also took the time to study quick-draw technique from a famed gun coach. One of my clearest recollections from that film is Tom on horseback, lassoing Michael Fox as he runs down the street, a difficult feat even for a seasoned stuntman.

Tom said he often remembers something Bob Zemeckis told him; “The thing about you is that your first two takes are in the zone, then you search around for things in the next 3 or 4 takes and then it really get’s good.”

On the days when he was working, his demeanor was calm and approachable as he waited for the filming to begin, but when it was time to shoot, Tom always brought his menacing and intimidating characterizations to life. “I took my work seriously,” he told me, “I wasn’t going to be some guy from Philadelphia to make it all the way to Hollywood and then blow it.”

From the reactions of audiences worldwide, Tom Wilson clearly made the most of the opportunities he was given on the Back to the Future trilogy.

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