Super Megafest 2013: Christopher Lloyd Panel
Hanna Lafferty ’16 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer
Media by: Tori DeYeso ’16 / Emertainment Monthly Staff
Christopher Lloyd’s Q&A was a highlight of Super Megafest. Some of Lloyd’s most famous roles are Emmett “Doc” Brown in the Back to the Future trilogy, Uncle Fester in The Addams Family movies, Judge Doom in Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and “Reverend” Jim Ignatowski in the 1980s television series Taxi. After such a varied career, he had amazing insight to offer the audience in terms of acting. Recently, he appeared on an episode of “Raising Hope” (with the Delorean making a cameo as well) and an episode of “Psych”. He also reunited with Michael J. Fox in an episode of The Michael J. Fox Show that aired this Friday. Lloyd talked about his theater career briefly, mostly to discuss how his time under the famed acting teacher Sanford Meisner taught him how to behave “truthfully under imaginary circumstances”. When asked about what he considered his most difficult role in film, Lloyd said, “I find every time I get a script, it’s just as scary as the last one.” To him, every role is a challenge because he always works to find a connection to the characters he plays.
The session turned to a discussion of some of Lloyd’s favorite characters that he has played over the years. He enjoyed his role as Doc Brown, as well as Piece in Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead (1995), and also his role in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. When asked what his favorite moments were from the Back to the Future movies, Lloyd said that “All the scenes in the Back to the Future series, something urgent is happening in every scene…the space time continuum is hanging on a thread!” Lloyd also mentioned that one of the roles he had been most excited to play was The Addams Family’s Uncle Fester, since he was a big fan of the The Addams Family cartoon as a child; his first thought when he was called for the part was “This can’t be happening!” Of course, when asked what character he felt he was most alike, he responded with “Reverend Jim.”
Related: Super Megafest 2013: Eliza Dushku Panel
The Q&A ended with a question on how Lloyd felt to be such a large part of pop culture. Lloyd’s answer was moving and sweet:
“It’s a wonderful feeling to have those opportunities. When I started out I had very little confidence in my acting. In acting classes I would sit in the back and hope that the clock would run out before I had to get up and work…It’s kind of amazing to me that I’ve accumulated all these roles that I’ve done that have meant a lot to a lot of people…So, I guess just keep working.”