Why diddnt he voice Biff in the new BTTF game?
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franscutchy — 15 years ago(January 21, 2011 07:38 PM)
The answer is $$$ ?
Here's a quote from Tom himself from the contact section of his website:
"Please forgive me if I don't answer the very many Back to the Future emails that I receive. I'm time traveling to my own future. Thanks for still loving me through the tears."
And here's a quote from his new FAQ section:
Q) You no longer sign any Back To The Future memorabilia. Is that true?
T) Yes, that's true.
Q)And why is that?
T) I've decided to do what I want to do in life, and follow my own path as an artist, so I've decided not to participate in any sort of nostalgia in which I'm marginalized as a pop icon of yesteryear. I no longer support in any way an insurmountable archetype, and now exclusively pursue the things that interest me.
I have no doubt that he helped sell a BTTF video poker game a few years ago. In fact, Tom seemed to happily embrace BTTF fandom, such as signing autographs: "To [your name here], Biff to the Future! Tom Wilson" And he was present with Michael J. Fox and Mary Steenburgen at the opening of BTTF: The Ride in Florida. Sadly, it seems within the last 5 or so years, something changed Tom's mind and he now wishes to distance himself from it. Notice, he wasn't involved in the BTTF bluray at all. I've gone to his standup comedy act and yeah he mentions Biff, does his lines and does Biff's Question Song, and I'm sure he's polite enough to answer questions after his show. But I'm afraid that's as far as it goes.
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franscutchy — 15 years ago(January 31, 2011 07:16 PM)
I think we may have misunderstood each other, so I apologize if that's the case.
What do I want Tom to do? Well, nothing really. I may not agree with his decision BUT I certainly don't hold it against him. He has his reasons. He's a great guy. It would just be nice if he acknowledged that - as you were good enough to remind me - the movie is 25 years old, yes. And amazingly, people still love it like it JUST CAME OUT. That's really all I was saying.
Best wishes. -
lonely_goodner — 15 years ago(February 08, 2011 12:45 PM)
On his YouTube channel someone asked him about it, apparently they didn't even ask him about it.
@TomWilsonUSA I no you don't want to be involved in any BTTF products Tom but have they at least contacted you about the videogame just out of respect for your role in the movies?
burningphoneix 2 months ago
@burningphoneix Again, no.
TomWilsonUSA 2 months ago
I don't know if he would have done it if asked. Maybe, maybe not. -
McFly_2015 — 14 years ago(May 14, 2011 02:23 PM)
I guess it's just run it's course. Some actors dont like a project they do and distance itself from it immediately. But Tom did stick around for the show and ride (more than michael j fox actually). I think he just feels it's run its course and probably wants to be known more for his comedy and figures that's the only way to do it.
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cookepuss — 14 years ago(July 17, 2011 07:24 PM)
I'm just guessing that he doesn't want to become William Shatner. Don't get me wrong. I think that Shatner kicks butt. However, no matter what he does, he'll always be Kirk to most people. Never mind the fact that we was awesome on Boston Legal or TJ Hooker. It's always Kirk Kirk Kirk.
Tom is probably just tired the whole Biff thing. Maybe he doesn't envision himself, in 20 years, being dragged out of mothballs for his millionth BttF appearance. It's gotta hurt to be pigeonholed like that. I get it. I feel for him. I really do. If he wants to pursue other interests then that's his right. Good for him.
Having said that, I think that he has to deal with notoriety differently. Fame is a fickle mistress. He'll never reach the Biff-level fame again. That's a given. However, if he turns against fans of the series, he may not receive ANY further amount of fame. As quickly as Hollywood made him, they can UNmake him.
The past is the past and he doesn't want to dwell on it. Perfectly acceptable. Don't do BttF tie-ins. Don't attend the cons. Don't reprise the character. Just DON'T deny the fans if they come up to you and ask you to sign their junk. Tom may not look fondly on that time, but the fans do.
What Tom has to understand is that it isn't about nostalgia. It's about his lasting contribution to cinema. If people want to thank him then he should let them. If they want him to sign something I don't see the problem. There'll always be somebody waiting to hawk his signature on eBay. What about the legitimate fan who wants the memory of their encounter immortalized? Support the fans and they'll support you.
Tom shouldn't take the word fan so literally. Not every fan is a fanatic.
When I was a kid, my dad got a signed picture of Margaret Hamilton. Now, if the name doesn't sound familiar I don't blame you. However, much like Tom's Biff, you'll recognize her in a heartbeat. She played the Wicked Witch of the West in the Wizard of Oz.
Much like Tom, her career after tWoZ didn't end. In fact, she has 115 credits here in IMDB. However, also like Tom, she was only ever remembered for that one character.
My dad met her in 1983, 2 years before she died. Surely, after 40+ years, you'd have thought that she might have hated still being associated with the Witch. You'd have thought that, even at 80 years old, she'd tell such people to bugger off. You'd have thought that she'd refuse to sign the witch photo. NOPE! She happily signed the photo, thanked my dad for still remembering her, and chuckled about how her character scared my kid brother.
I know that Tom has had some bad experiences. I know that he doesn't want to dwell on the past and that he wants to pursue other artistic endeavors. Good for him. However, instead of turning the BttF fans away and leave them signature-less, he should count his blessings. He should be thankful that, even after 26 years, people still fondly remember him.
Tom, be thankful that you're remembered. If an 80 year old woman can look back at playing an evil witch as being a blessing then I can't see what harm being remembered for playing the film world's most iconic bully can do. You're not that guy, Tom. You're not Biff. I know that's all some people see, but you've gotta 1354embrace it instead of run from it.
Tom should aspire to be more like Margaret Hamilton. Embrace the absurdity of his signature character. Embrace what it represents to fans. Embrace his contribution. A hug is nice, but sometimes a fan wants a memento. Something to show their kids as my dad did with the Wicked Witch picture.
Tom has some choice words to say about certain celebs. Is he right in dissing Busey or Glover? Maybe. Maybe not. However, what does it say about him when he seemingly hates his own fame? If he doesn't want to be forever known as Biff, just disappear from acting. Actors do it all of the time. There are tons of "Whatever Happened to" threads here. He could be one of those guys. Frankly, that's going to be the only way he'll escape Biff. If he's not willing to abandon acting, which is understandable, then he has to take everything that comes with that. INCLUDING Biff. You can't be in the Hollyweird scene half-way, even if you're not an A-lister. -
cookepuss — 14 years ago(July 17, 2011 07:52 PM)
BTW: Michael J. Fox's reason for NOT sticking around for the show and the ride is a different story. Fox's Hollywood career was in high gear after BttF. I doubt that he had time for any of that. Lloyd's reason FOR appearing is a different story too. He was already established. He already had a few iconic roles and wasn't actively pursuing stardom like Fox. Fox & Lloyd were actors who were at different points in their career at that point.
Don't mistake that for Fox shunning BttF fandom though. Given his current condition, it's still amazing that he was happy enough to contribute a to the final chapter of the BttF game.
I can sort of see why some people think that Tom's behavior reeks of sour grapes. Not that I can agree with it, but I understand.- Michael J. Fox's career was boosted tremendously by BttF. Had it not been for his Parkinson's he'd still be acting full steam.
- Lea Thompson saw further success because of BttF too. She didn't quite reach MJF levels of fame, but she did star in a moderately successful TV series and continues to be very active.
- Crispin Glover, love or hate him, got a massive boost from BttF. He's played some very memorable characters in some very big films and continues to prosper even today.
- Christopher Lloyd was already famous. BttF helped his profile even more. It was probably one of the selling points for getting him on board Roger Rabbit and such.
Tom Wilson? He's had a couple of small, albeit memorable, parts after BttF, but his career kinda stalled. Of the core cast, he was the only one didn't see that sort of boost. Maybe he didn't want it. Maybe he didn't want to play more bad guy roles, which I'm sure was the ca5b4se.
To put it another way, everybody graduated highs school, went to college, and went on to bigger and better things. Here he was being asked to put on his old varsity jersey and being asked to recount the story of the "big game."
If he's bitter, but way too polite to tell BttF fans to eff themselves. can you blame him? I'd be bitter too if my "classmates" hit it big and I was stuck working at a gas station and being patronized by townies.
FTR, I have seen him in other things and thought that he was quite good. I recently saw him in Franklin & Bash and wanted to see him on TV more. I can't shake Biff from my brain, but I am capable of seeing him as other characters too.
If anybody's in need of a time machine it's Tom. He needs to go back in time and get a better agent, one who knows how to better handle the post hit career. Clearly, the rest of the cast had better agents.
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lkjandersen — 14 years ago(January 03, 2012 01:14 PM)
I hung around on the TellTaleGames forum, around that time. The story, as they told it, was that they, repeatedly, tried to contact him about playing Biff, but they never heard back from his representation. The theory was that he recieved so much BTTF related offers, around the 25th anniversary, that his agents just started ignoring it all, since Wilson had expressed a disinterest in everything Biff-ish. He would have been offered the role, if they had been able to contact him.