Back to the Future
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If you took a survey of people who grew up in the 1980s what their favorite film of the decade was, you’d be getting a lot of answers for “Back to the Future”. It wasn’t just a film for many, but a pop culture spectacle that’s still beloved to this day. Part of that cast from the first film was Claudia Wells, who chose not to continue her career after the blockbuster hit. However, in recent years, Wells has returned to the acting scene to show that she still has what it takes.
Wells was born on July 5, 1966 far away from the Hollywood scene at first. She was actually born on Malaysia, but grew up for the most part in San Francisco, California. During her high school years, Wells moved down the Pacific coast to Los Angeles. After the move, Wells started taking acting classes and was auditioning for roles. For Wells, she didn’t have to wait long until producers were placing her in roles.
In 1979, Wells made her acting debut by joining the cast of the Aaron Spelling series “Family” for a pair of episodes. Then, Wells came back to television in the early 1980s with roles in “Rise and Shine” and “Strike Force”. Wells then got a starring role in the CBS TV version of “Herbie, the Love Bug” as Julie, but the show aired for less than a month.
Over the next couple of years, Wells had a few more guest appearances on television, including “Fame”, as well as a TV movie and a regular role on the short-lived series “Off the Rack”. Then, in 1985, Wells had the biggest role of her career. Wells starred as Jennifer Parker in the first “Back to the Future” film, and it was one of the most successful films of all-time. However, she didn’t return to play Parker in the sequels and was replaced by Elisabeth Shue.
Afterward, it would be more than 20 years before Wells was in another film. Instead, she went into television over the next couple of years. Wells guest appeared in “Trapper John, M.D.” and “Simon & Simon”. She was then tabbed for another starring role in TV with “Fast Times”, the small screen version of “Fast Times at Ridgemont High”. Unfortunately, it was another series that lasted just a few episodes before being cancelled.
Following the role, Wells was ready to leave acting. Her mother had become ill, which caused her to walk away from the lucrative “Back to the Future” roles. She also started a clothing business, which took up a lot of her time. “My mother wanted me to do the sequels,” Wells said. “It’s completely my responsibility.”
“She’s not alive anymore,” Wells continued. “She’s in heaven now. But, she wanted me to do the sequels. The filmmakers wanted me to do the sequels. It’s all on me. I chose not to. I saw the sequel in the movie theater. I had my popcorn. I was ducked down in my chair going, ‘That could have been me.’ It was a fascinating time warp experience. Life is what it is.”
After a long hiatus, Wells finally returned to the acting scene in 2008 by appearing in the film “Still Waters Burn”. A few years later, in 2011, Wells started to appear on screen more consistently. She was in the movie “Alien Armageddon” and a pair of short films, as well as an episode of “The Mentalist”. Since then, Wells has been in several independent movies and most recently with “Vitals” and “Groove Street”. On TV, her most recent appearances include “Zero Impact Home” and “The Comeback Kids”.
“Back to the Future” remains the big talking point for Wells and her career to this day, still. While many in the business knew it was going to be a massive hit with audiences, it was just an audition process for Wells, looking for her first role and not knowing the magnitude that would transpire. In fact, Wells admits she didn’t know anything about the character and wasn’t given a script at first, auditioning just once for a couple of hours before getting the good news.
Wells almost had to back out of the role after she had agreed to a television offer and the production was pushed back as Eric Stoltz was being replaced as Marty McFly by Michael J. Fox. For many actors, that would’ve been a rough experience, but it didn’t stress Wells out in the slightest.
“I remember being in our apartment in Beverly Hills, and my mom came in and said, ‘Claudia, you’ve now been released from that movie.’” Wells said. “And I just say, ‘Okay.’ I just remember being very calm and relaxed. Somehow in my being, I knew that fate was in charge. And then when it worked out the way it did, I wasn’t shocked or excited. I always knew somehow or in some way that this would work out in the end. I had a real peace about the whole situation. It just felt right.”
If it weren’t for personal life getting in the way, Wells would’ve continued acting on a full-time basis, especially because of the experience she had working with the cast and crew on “Back to the Future”. Bob Gale was a co-creator and writer for the film, and he and Wells still keep in touch. “I’ve been blessed enough to travel the world and continue to, and only because of ‘Back to the Future’ popularity,” she said. “I’m always emailing him and saying, ‘I’m going on a trip next week. Thank you, thank you, thank you for casting me.’ I’ve been doing that for years.”
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