What’s it like to be an actor in an iconic film franchise when you’re not a huge Hollywood name?
If you’re Tom Wilson, who played the bully villain Biff Tannen in the “Back to the Future” trilogy, it means your days are filled with people recognizing you and asking you the same questions over and over and over again.
What’s Michael J. Fox like?
What’s Christopher Lloyd like?
What’s Crispin Glover like?
Do you all still hang out together?
Wilson has been asked the same questions so many times over the years, he created a postcard to give fans who ask them that tells them everything they probably want to know.
But a song he wrote answering some of those questions truly takes the cake. Wilson has been performing “Biff’s Question Song” as part of his music and stand-up comedy routine for years, but since his initial version went viral in 2006 he has honed it to hilarious perfection. Watch:
\u201cTom Wilson (Biff Tannen) was asked the same questions by BACK TO THE FUTURE fans so often, he wrote a song answering them. This is that brilliant song.\u201d— All The Right Movies (@All The Right Movies)
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Honestly, had no idea what a key grip or best boy did in movies, and it’s refreshing to hear him say he doesn’t know what a producer does, either. Also, the DeLorean a piece of garbage? Always suspected it.
The card Wilson created goes into more detail and offers a sense of who Wilson is as both a person and a performer. It reads:
“I’m Tom Wilson. I was in all three ‘Back To The Future’ movies. Michael J. Fox is nice. I’m not in close contact with him. Christopher Lloyd is nice. He is a very shy man. Crispin Glover is unusual, but not as unusual as he sometimes presents himself. We got along nicely. Lea Thompson is nice. Eric Stoltz originally played Marty, but was fired due to performance issues.
The first movie was shot in 1984 and ’85. The sequels were shot ‘back to back,’ never before attempted by a movie studio. The hoverboards didn’t really fly, we were hanging by wires from a crane. The manure was made of peat moss, cork, dirt, and a food agent that made it sticky. The Delorean was an inferior automobile, and nearly impossible for a person of normal size like myself to enter and exit.
There are many tiny plot points hidden in the movies, but I don’t know what they are. Among many improvisations on the set, I coined the term ‘butthead,’ as well as ‘Make like a tree, and get out of here.’ The third movie was my favorite, since I got to learn western skills like riding, roping, quick draw, and shooting a six-shooter, a great adventure for a guy from Philadelphia.
I hold my co-workers in the best light, but have no idea what any of them are doing right now. Steven Spielberg was the executive producer of the movie, but Robert Zemeckis directed it. Nobody had any idea that the movies would become a cultural touchstone, but the themes of friendship and adventure moved the audience so powerfully that I felt the need to create this postcard as a time-saver. It was the first movie I ever acted in, if you don’t count being killed in the Kung-Fu movie ‘Ninja Turf.’
Love is more important than material possessions. I made less money than you think. I don’t talk about the movies much because I’m busy with standup comedy and music performances. Those performances aren’t near the magnitude of the movies, but I find them enjoyable and satisfying, so that’s the area of my concentration.
I’ve performed on ‘The Tonight Show’ with both Johnny Carson and Jay Leno, but not at the same time. I’m pleased and proud of my acting credits, listed at imdb.com. I’m a painter as well. You can contact me at www.tomwilsonusa.com. Thank you and God bless you.”
Source: https://www.upworthy.com/tom-wilson-biff-back-to-the-future-question-song