Han Solo Hands Things to Rey

Han Solo Hands Things to Rey

I keep forgetting that Crispin Glover didn’t play George McFly in Back to the Future II and III  

But who did?  

Someone did

That someone is… 

Jeffrey Weissman!!!!!!!!

&

here’s what he said about his experience with BTTF…

which is a muss read for any BTFF fan…

I was honored to be a part of them, and yet it was often uncomfortable. During the casting process I was kept in the dark. I was told that I was up for being a photo double.  The make up man, Ken Chase (not the director nor the casting agents) told me that Crispin Glover was not returning to do the sequels, and that I would be playing the role… when I told my agents this, they didn’t really believe it and fight for good money or good billing for me

I ended up negotiating my shared title card with the director on the set, much to the dismay of the producers

I had not been included in any readings or rehearsals.  I was even cut out of the making of the Trilogy’s documentary.  The story was that the producers couldn’t work out their problems with Crispin – he apparently wanted script approval and a million dollars.  Because he had been a pain to work with on the first film with unusual demands and eccentric behavior, they wrote his part smaller and did things like having 77 year old George hung upside down to torture him, which I ended up having to endure in the McFly home of the future

They needed to have Crispin to recreate scenes believably for the sequels to work. When I first came on the set as young 17-year-old George, made up in prosthetics to look like Crispin, Michael J. Fox looked at me and said, “Oh man, Crispin’s not gonna like this!”, which made me feel like a scab worker

Eventually I got along alright with Michael and others like Billy Zane on and off the set, but I was rarely referred to as Jeffrey — Robert Zemekis and Lea Thompson would call me Crispin, which was a bit uncomfortable

I had worked with Crispin on a project at American Film Institute (AFI) early in the 1980’s and considered him a good actor. When I heard I was up to be his photo double, I called him to see if he remembered me and ask if he would say a good word for me as his stand in so I could get the job to help pay for my recently-born second son.  He didn’t call me back until he wanted to sue Universal for my work

Apparently my presence in the movie was kept a secret so as not to call attention to the mistake the producers made in trying to use Crispin’s likeness without paying him. Things started going terribly wrong – I had the plug pulled on a 10-city promotional tour for Universal, Florida.  I wasn’t allowed to promote myself on the film, and I was put off by the producer’s office on requests for my footage, among other promises, such as having a part in part III without the heavy makeup

As things would have it, Crispin contacted me and told me a sob story of how he felt abused on the first film and how they were swindling him by using his likeness and only paying him scale for a few days of re-use footage from the first film

Feeling compassion for him, I inadvertently gave him and his attorney fuel for their fire with stories of how Steven Speilberg came up to me during shooting and said, “So Crispin, I see you got your million dollars after all.”  Crispin’s suit named John Doe 1-100 as defendants, where he didn’t have to name all of the persons he was suing, and I think that drove the producers, director and the Universal attorneys crazy, so Universal ended settling out of court for $765,000

Crispin’s attorney revealed during a deposition that we had met, so Universal had me blacklisted.  I learned about the blacklisting when I was specifically excluded on a casting call for an episode of a television show they produced.  It was bad, it turned my life upside down.  I ended up going into avoidance behavior and having a nervous breakdown over the shock, and that resulted in the break up of my first marriage

bless you Jeffrey Weissman, for doing the impossible, by acting like another actor and how they acted, playing one of the most iconic of iconic characters, but so well that no one will even notice or care [or apparently remember anything] about you.  seriously, you are amazing, and thank you.  it’s not your fault you’re not Crispin Glover