steadyaku47

Friday 23 October 2015

Biff Tannen: What happened to the Back to the Future villain?



Tom Wilson and Michael J. Fox in a scene from Back to the Future.

THE actor who played Biff Tannen in the Back to the Future movies has a unique way of dealing with overly inquisitive fans.
Tom Wilson — who now focuses on standup comedy — is asked about the film trilogy so frequently that he simply hands out copies of an answer sheet to curious fans.
They get insights including “Michael J. Fox is nice”, “I coined the term ‘butthead,’” and “I don’t talk about the movies much because I’m busy with standup comedy and music performances.”

Here’s what the card says.
“I’m Tom Wilson. I was in all three ‘Back To The Future’ movies. Michael J. Fox is nice. I’m not in close contact with him. Christopher Lloyd is nice. He is a very shy man. Crispin Glover is unusual, but not as unusual as he sometimes presents himself. We got along nicely. Lea Thompson is nice. Eric Stoltz originally played Marty, but was fired due to performance issues. The first movie was shot in 1984 and ‘85. The sequels were shot ‘back to back,’ never before attempted by a movie studio. The hoverboards didn’t really fly, we were hanging by wires from a crane. The manure was made of peat moss, cork, dirt, and a food agent that made it sticky. The Delorean was an inferior automobile, and nearly impossible for a person of normal size like myself to enter and exit. There are many tiny plot points hidden in the movies, but I don’t know what they are. Among many improvisations of the set, I coined the term ‘butthead,’ as well as ‘Make like a tree, and get out of here.’ The third movie was my favorite, since I got to learn western skills like riding, roping, quick draw, and shooting a six-shooter, a great adventure for a guy from Philadelphia. I hold my co-workers in the best light, but have no idea what any of them are doing right now. Steven Spielberg was the executive producer of the movie, but Robert Zemeckis directed it. Nobody had any idea that the movies would become a cultural touchstone, but the themes of friendship and adventure moved the audience so powerfully that I felt the need to create this postcard as a time-saver. It was the first movie I ever acted in, if you don’t count being killed in the Kung-Fu movie ‘Ninja Turf.’ Love is more important that material possessions. I made less money than you think. I don’t talk about the movies much because I’m busy with standup comedy and music performances. Those performances aren’t near the magnitude of the movies, but I find them enjoyable and satisfying, so that’s the area of my concentration. I’ve performed on ‘The Tonight Show’ with both Johnny Carson and Jay Leno, but not at the same time. I’m pleased and proud of my acting credits, listed at imdb.com. I’m a painter as well. You can contact me at www.tomwilsonusa.com. Thank you and God bless you.”

He also wrote a song about it.

Biff's question song

 

 

No comments:

Post a Comment