In an effort to raise proceeds for COVID-19 relief efforts, the cast and crew of the much-beloved 1985 sci-fi/comedy Back To The Future reunited on the brand new Josh Gad-hosted (Frozen) YouTube series Reunited Apart over the weekend.
Thanks to the power of video-calling platform Zoom, Gad, 39, was able to reconnect actors Christopher Lloyd and Michael J. Fox, who starred as the beloved Doc Brown and Marty McFly in the groundbreaking trilogy — which celebrates its 35th anniversary this year.
The celebratory livestream took place on Sunday afternoon and saw the stars telling stories about the film, sharing some of their favourite memories, re-enacting classic scenes and reciting some of the franchise’s most iconic lines all while raising money for Project Hope.
Though Crispin Glover — who played Marty’s father — wasn’t present, Gad provided his best impression of George McFly while reenacting a scene with surprise guest and star Lea Thompson (Lorraine Baines-McFly).
As well as Thompson, 58, a variety of creative geniuses behind the trilogy made special appearances too, including director Robert Zemeckis, producer Bob Gale and composer Alan Silvestri.
On top of Silvestri, 70, Huey Lewis and the News frontman Huey Lewis joined in on the call. He was responsible for writing The Power of Love — the much-beloved synth-rock song which skyrocketed after the release of Back to the Future.
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Even Elizabeth Shue was on board for the reunion. She starred as Marty’s love interest Jennifer Parker in both Back to the Future: Part II (1989) and Part III (1990). Mary Steenburgen served as a special guest too. She starred as Doc Brown’s own love interest (Clara Clayton) in the final instalment, which took the trio back to the 19th century.
For a portion of the interview, Gad had the cast ask each other questions so he could sit back and “fangirl” at the reunion taking place before him.
Additionally, the host invited self-proclaimed “superfan” and Star Wars/Star Trek director J.J. Abrams to the call to gush over the films himself. The 53-year-old filmmaker revealed he saw the film at the age of 18 upon its theatrical release.
To close out the reunion extravaganza, Gad enlisted the cast of the upcoming Back to the Future musical to sing and perform The Power of Love.
As a final, post-credits surprise for fans, actor Claudia Wells made a special appearance too. Before being replaced by Shue, 56, she played Jennifer in the first instalment of Back to the Future.
“This is the third Zoom meeting that I’ve missed,” joked Wells, as she sat alone on the virtual call. “Dammit, I wanted to meet Elizabeth Shue,” she quipped.
Before signing off, the star paid her respects to front-line health-care workers and encouraged viewers to donate to Project Hope.
“Thank you to the first responders and to everyone who is doing so much to help people,” said Wells. “It’s like Doc Brown always said, “If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything,” she added.
Project Hope is a renowned global health and humanitarian relief organization, whose ultimate goal is to provide local health-care workers across the globe with the necessary equipment and funds for them to successfully combat the novel coronavirus and ultimately save the lives of those fighting it.
For more information, you can visit the official Project Hope website.
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