Actress Melora Hardin, famed for playing Jan Levinson on the US version of The Office, has emotionally recounted the moment she was fired from the iconic 1980s film Back to the Future.
A Dream Role Shattered
Hardin, now 58, was just 17 years old when she landed the part of Jennifer Parker, girlfriend to Marty McFly, and had even signed a two-picture deal for the sequels. She had already filmed for several weeks opposite the originally cast Marty, actor Eric Stoltz.
The production took a dramatic turn when director Robert Zemeckis clashed with Stoltz over the film's tone. Zemeckis envisioned a sci-fi comedy, while Stoltz approached it as a tragedy, leading to the lead actor's dismissal.
Michael J. Fox was rushed in to replace Stoltz, a decision that had an immediate and devastating knock-on effect for Hardin. Studio executives deemed the actress, who is eight inches taller than Fox, unsuitable to appear alongside him.
"Back to the Future was a huge disappointment. I was 17, you know. I burst into tears," Hardin recalled in a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly. "It was very sad."
Height Prejudice and Lasting Regrets
Hardin explained that the decision came from female executives at the time who believed it was "emasculating" for the male lead to be seen with a taller woman. She was subsequently replaced by actress Claudia Wells.
In his memoir, Future Boy, Michael J. Fox expressed regret over the incident. He wrote about his own experiences with height-based prejudice and acknowledged how it affected Hardin.
"I regret that this prejudice inadvertently affected another cast member in Back to the Future – Melora Hardin," Fox stated. He added that while no one asked his opinion, he would have "risen to Melora’s defence," insisting he never felt the need to be taller than his co-stars.
Finding Strength in Failure
Reflecting on the career setback four decades later, Hardin has found a philosophical perspective. "To be where I am, you have to have failed more than you’ve succeeded," she told EW.
She emphasised the necessity of resilience in the acting profession, stating: "You have to really be somebody who’s comfortable with failure... That failure doesn’t mean anything about you. You just have to fail better and keep failing better."
Despite the major disappointment, Hardin recognises that her career path would have been entirely different. "If I had done it, I’m sure it would have all gone in a different way," she mused. "I wouldn’t have done The Office."
Since missing out on the blockbuster franchise, Hardin has built a prolific career spanning over 70 film and TV roles, including parts in Monk, Transparent, 27 Dresses, and Gilmore Girls.
The original Marty McFly, Eric Stoltz, has also moved on, telling Moviehole in 2007 that the firing ultimately led him to invest in himself in a "much healthier" way, calling it a "freeing" experience.
