Back to the Future's Christopher Lloyd went from being an A-lister at the top of his game
to pretty much disappearing entirely.
For those of you who've been missing him, don't worry!
He wasn't dissolved in dip or sent back in time to the old west.
Here's what he's been up to lately.
Struggling actors will typically take whatever parts are offered to them in major studio
films.
Then, once they've had a run of successful projects, they'll often start getting pickier.
This has been the reason that many famous actors have suddenly disappeared soon after
hitting it big.
They're no longer desperate, so they only work when a role truly speaks to them.
But strangely enough, for Christopher Lloyd, just the opposite is true.
If you check out his filmography, you'll see that he's still working constantly, and the
reason we aren't seeing him popping up in major films is that he isn't picky at all.
He has stated on multiple occasions that he doesn't mind small roles in small projects.
For instance, in an interview with Metro New York, he said,
"Unless it's total garbage, I'll work, whatever comes along.
The money might not be fabulous.
But I don't mind that."
Even though he hasn't been a recurring cast member on a big TV show since his days on
Taxi, Lloyd still spends plenty of time on the small screen, albeit usually in brief
guest appearances.
For instance, he appeared on the Roseanne revival as Bev's comically elderly boyfriend
Lou.
He also showed up in The Big Bang Theory as Theodore, a creepy vagrant who Sheldon rents
his room out to as part of a revenge plot against Leonard.
If you go back a little further, Lloyd has had no shortage of great TV appearances.
He was in the 100th episode of Psych, which was a loving homage to his film Clue and also
featured several of his co-stars from that movie.
He was also on an episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent, because apparently all actors
are required to appear on at least one Law & Order show at some point in their career.
And of course we can't forget his regular gig on the short-lived sitcom Stacked alongside
Pamela Anderson.
"Was I wearing a belt when I came in?"
Lloyd has also been spending plenty of his time lately on social media.
His platform of choice is Twitter, where he tweets under the handle @DocBrownLloyd.
His feed largely consists of chatting with fans, retweeting Back the Future memes, and
speaking his mind about our current political climate.
Lloyd's feed is certainly an entertaining place to be, but let's hope he can remember
to use the internet responsibly.
We still want to see him on the big and medium screens, rather than spending all his time
on the smallest screen of all.
Over the past few years, Lloyd has spent a decent chunk of his free time travelling around
the country hosting live screenings of his films, followed by Q&A sessions.
He's also no stranger to the convention circuit, including a 2016 Wizard World Philadelphia
appearance alongside his Back to the Future co-stars Lea Thompson and Michael J Fox.
Lloyd has never shied away from appearing publicly or interacting with fans.
While at Seattle's Emerald City Comic Con in 2018, he spoke about how gratifying it
was to hear how fans have been affected by his work.
"Back to the Future changed their lives, or they chose certain careers because of the
influence of the movies."
Keep an eye on your local convention circuit!
Even if you're not seeing Christopher Lloyd much in movie theaters anymore, there are
more chances than ever to talk to him in person.
One unfortunate reason that we're not seeing more of Christopher Lloyd is simply because
Back to the Future is probably never coming back.
Lloyd himself isn't the problem, as he still loves playing Doc Brown in cameo appearances
and other small occasions.
"Are the Cubs in the playoff?"
“Yeah, they actually are!”
But the producers are definitively against it, though, and there's also the matter of
Michael J Fox's health issues.
Fox has been battling Parkinson's disease publicly since 1998, and though he's acted
regularly since then, a leading part in a new Back to the Future may be more than he
could comfortably handle.
When asked about the prospect of a sequel, director Robert Zemeckis told The Telegraph,
"Oh, God no … I mean, to me, that’s outrageous.
Especially since it’s a good movie.
It’s like saying ‘Let’s remake Citizen Kane.
Who are we going to get to play Kane?’
What folly, what insanity is that?
Why would anyone do that?”
The truth is that Christopher Lloyd was always difficult to cast.
He has a unique energy that is perfect for some very specific roles.
So perhaps he was always destined to be a mid-level character actor.
He used to make up for the limited demand for eccentric weirdos in big films by playing
a very wide age range, bouncing back and forth between older and younger characters from
film to film.
Now that Lloyd's becoming an old man for real, his options are getting more limited.
In an interview with Metro New York, he hinted at the difficulties that have come with getting
older, saying,
"I once did a Q&A for Back to the Future, and some little kid asks for the microphone
and says, 'Mr. Lloyd, now that you're older do you miss putting on old age makeup?'"
Lloyd chuckled heartily at that precocious question, which hopefully means he's made
peace with getting up there in years.
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