'80s star Eric Stoltz made an incredibly rare public appearance for the screening of his upcoming film, Original Sound, co-starring Laura Marano, Bridget Moynahan and Luis Antonio Ramos.
The 64-year-old looked dapper in a black coat and a blue collared shirt with a navy scarf wrapped around his neck, with his graying hair slicked back. He was practically unrecognizable without the strawberry blond hair that had come to define his iconic image.
Eric stars in the drama flick, which follows a budding songwriter whose track gets stolen by a budding pop star. "Driven by the pulse and rhythm of Brooklyn and Queens, beat maker Danny Solis may have found his big break when his track is pilfered by pop star Ryan Reed," the synopsis reads.
"To keep Danny quiet, Ryan's manager brokers a deal in which Ryan and Danny will collaborate on a few songs. Their work together introduces Danny to Manhattan's music scene and leads Ryan to pivot her career. Despite disappointment and betrayal, Danny perseveres, finding solace and strength within his original sound."
Eric was a major star in the '80s and '90s, thanks to roles in Some Kind of Wonderful, Say Anything, Killing Zoe, Little Women, Pulp Fiction, Kicking and Screaming, Anaconda, Mr Jealousy and The Butterfly Effect.
In later years, Eric turned his focus to directing and producing and worked on the hit CBS drama Madam Secretary for several years, as well as the popular teen series Glee.
© Getty Images for TCMWhile the father of one has flown under the radar in recent years, he returned to the spotlight in 2025 when actor Michael J. Fox, who portrayed Marty McFly in the popular Back to the Future films, shared insight into their complicated history.
Eric had been cast in the role of Marty and was six weeks deep into filming Back to the Future when he was fired by Robert Zemeckis after the director felt he wasn't right for the part. The team instead hired Michael, who was their first choice for the role but was busy filming Family Ties at the time.
© Ron Galella Collection via Getty"Eric has maintained his silence on the subject for 40 years, so I was prepared for the likelihood that he'd prefer to keep it that way," Michael wrote in his 2025 memoir, Future Boy, before adding that he reached out to clear the air. "If your answer is 'piss off and leave me alone'… That works, too," Michael wrote in his missive. According to the 64-year-old, Eric replied with a "beautifully written" message.
© Getty Images"Eric was thoughtful about my outreach, and although he respectfully declined to participate in the book, he seemed open to the idea of getting together," he recalled. Upon their first meeting, the stars "immediately fell into an easy dialogue about our careers, families, and yes, our own trips through the space-time continuum".
© FilmPublicityArchive/United Arch"[He entered] with a smile, and we quickly acknowledged that neither of us had an issue with the other," Michael wrote. "What transpired on Back to the Future had not made us enemies or fated rivals; we were just two dedicated actors who had poured equal amounts of energy into the same role. The rest had nothing to do with us. As it turned out, we had much more in common than our spin as Marty."
The father of four added that they had maintained a friendship ever since, and often wrote to each other about fatherhood, their favorite films, and politics. "His emails are reliably witty and always fun to read [and] a reminder that some of the best parts of our future can come from the past."
