Lorraine Baines McFly

Padding into the kitchen in bedroom slippers, wearing a turtleneck sweater, striped blouse and polyester stretch pants is Loraine Baines McFly, a plumpish, middle-aged housewife who pours herself a glass of vodka before joining her family for dinner.

Jumping into a dressing room in a T-shirt and black mini-skirt is a pretty 24-year-old actress with shiny chestnut hair, perfect skin and a dimpled smile.
What do these two women have in common? Simple. They are both Lea Thompson, a talented young actress who meets a difficult acting challenge head on in "Back to the Future."
As Lorraine Baines, Thompson portrays a flirtatious young 17-year-old high school student attending Hill Valley High in 1955. Thirty years later, she is Lorraine Baines McFly, an unhappy housewife who married her high school sweetheart and had three children.

"When I first read the script, I thought it was such an interesting story," explains Thompson.

Thompson, who was born in Minneapolis in 1961, had to do plenty of research to get a feel for teenage life in the '50s. "Usually I go back to high school to study for a movie, but there's no way to go back to a '50s high school, so I tried to read magazines, watch movies and talk to older women who were in high school in the '50s. Once I got to see the sets, and had my hair done and got into costumes, it was all like being zapped into the past, and the character just came to me," she says.

As for the aging process, which took place in a make-up trailer each day for several weeks, Thompson says she got used to the three and a half hour sessions and the gradual process helped to prepare for her 47-year-old character.

"One night I left my old age make-up on, drove home and walked in the doorway while my mother was staying with me. She took one look at me and said 'cowabunga!' I had almost forgot I had it on, but she insisted 'You don't look like me, you look older than me!' And of course, she was right."

After several months in production as a teenager, circa 1955, Thompson admits that she grew very fond of the time period. "There was just a lot of fun and innocence about the 150s," she says. "I also enjoyed the hair styles; it's kind of sculpted with a whole different feeling. And I love the cars. I've got a '55 Chevy."

A professional dancer at the age of 14, Thompson won scholarships with both the American Ballet Theatre and the San Francisco Ballet before deciding to pursue a career as an actress at the age of 20.

Following a move to New York, she was cast in several commercials before winning a small role in "Jaws III." Her next role was that of Lisa Lietske, Tom Cruise's girfriend in "All the Right Moves," which brought her to the attention of critics and audiences alike. That part led to A challenging role as a teenage guerilla fighter in John Milius' adventure- drama, "Red Dawn." She has also starred in Universal's "The Wild Life" and will be seen in the upcoming British feature "Yellow Pages."

Steven Spielberg presents a Robert Zemeckis film "Back to the Future," starring Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover and Thomas F. Wilson. The screenplay is by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale, with music by Alan Silvestri. It is produced by Bob Gale and Neil Canton. The executive producers are Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall. The director is Robert Zemeckis.

as of June 5, 1985

Maggie McFly; Lorraine McFly

When Lea Thompson agreed to participate in the "Back to the Future" sequels, she naturally assumed that she would once again return to the role of Lorraine. She was not however, prepared for the number of different Lorraines she would ultimately play.

In "Back to the Future Part II," she appeared as the 17-year-old Lorraine Baines, the 77-year-old Lorraine McFly, and two versions of a 47-year-old Lorraine. For "Back to the Future Part III," the actress reprises the role of Lorraine at 47 and had another pleasant surprise waiting for her. "I got to play my first 'Back to the Future' character who isn't another incarnation of Lorraine."

Although she wasn't playing Marty's mother, Lea's character is still a relative of our hero, as she assumes the guise of Maggie McFly, Marty's great-great grandmother.

"Maggie is an immigrant who comes from good Irish stock," explains Lea. "I visited Ireland last year and met a woman there who I used as inspiration for Maggie. Also, I'm of Irish ancestry, and I saw a lot of righteous indignation in her character, which reminded me a lot of my own grandmother."

Thompson researched the time period in preparation for the role. "I read Trinity to try to get an idea of what those people were feeling and experiencing at the time. I worked with a dialogue coach to perfect the accent, and the wardrobe itself played an important part in establishing the way I played the character. Wearing a corset, for instance, makes you sit up higher and creates a more formal attitude."

Thompson acknowledges the importance of research but was also careful not to immerse herself too deeply in historical data. "I did want to know what it would have been like to have lived in the 1800's, but only up to a certain point, since this is 'Back to the Future,' which is its own distinct world.

"The situations we portray in this film are a great deal funnier and a lot more comfortable than was the reality of the Old West. Actually, if we were presenting a true depiction of 1885, I wouldn't have had much fun, since it was not a good time to be a woman in the West. Women worked extremely hard and had no rights. They couldn't own land, they couldn't have a passport, and they had to skin a lot of rabbits."

"The most important thing for an actor to remember is that no matter what year your story is set in, people are just people. Their urges, desires and frailties remain the same from generation to generation. Everyone back then had the same feelings that we experience now, be it love, fear, greed or whatever. If you distance yourself too far, or become overly obsessed in being factually correct, you risk the possibility of an audience not being able to relate to or accept your character."

Thompson has definitely adhered to that policy, as audiences worldwide have not only accepted her characters, but have taken them to their hearts, no matter which version of Lorraine she has portrayed. Summing up her feelings at the completion of the trilogy, Thompson expresses appreciation for the opportunities the filmmakers have afforded her over the past five years, as well as the diverse range of characters created for her. "My agent once told me that in the movies, women either play virgins, whores or mothers. The great thing about the 'Back to the Future' movies is that I got to play all three."

Steven Spielberg Presents A Robert Zemeckis Film. "Back to the Future Part III." Starring Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Mary Steenburgen, Thomas F. Wilson and Lea Thompson. Music by Alan Silvestri. Edited by Arthur Schmidt, Harry Keramidas. Production Design by Rick Carter. Director of Photography, Dean Cundey, A.S.C. Executive Producers, Steven Spielberg, Frank Marshall, Kathleen Kennedy. Story by Robert Zemeckis & Bob Gale. Screenplay by Bob Gale. Produced by Bob Gale and Neil Canton. Directed by Robert Zemeckis. A Universal Picture.

as of April 24, 1990