Michael J. Fox responds to NBC execs’ questioning with a lunch box

I can't imagine this face being printed on a lunch box.“ Michael J. Fox once recalled in an interview with Parade that NBC executive Brandon Tartikoff said this about him when he was casting Family Ties.Later, Fox actually printed his face on the lunch box and specially sent it to the other party.

Tartikoff, who has participated in the development of TV series such as Hill Street Blues and The Cosby Show, was mainly concerned about his height this time.He wrote in his memoir that the team did not doubt Foxx's comedy ability, but the young man, who was only 5 feet 4 inches and about 1.63 meters tall, looked nothing like the child of the parents played by Michael Gross and Meredith Baxter Birney.It was for this reason that Fox almost missed the role of Alex P. Keaton.

Matthew Broderick was originally offered the role, but he didn't accept it.Series creator Gary David Goldberg also later turned down Fox, until casting director Judith Weiner insisted he give it another look and call him back to win him over.”Goldberg met Foxx again and was finally convinced by his performance.

Tartikoff recorded Goldberg's evaluation in his memoirs: He was only expected to make the audience laugh twice, but he was able to do it five times.“

《Family Ties》 was originally designed around father Steven and mother Elise Keaton, but a post-air audience survey voted Alex the most popular character.The focus of the series changed, and Foxx became a central cast member.In 1986, 1987 and 1988, he won three consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for this role.

When Back to the Future was a success, Fox made a lunchbox joke.Tartikoff said he kept the lunch box with Fox’s face in his office and occasionally opened it to read the note inside.The paper teased him with the sentence ”Eat crow, Tartikoff%, which meant that Tartikoff should admit his mistake.