Why 'The Office' Star Melora Hardin Was Fired From Back to the Future After 6 Weeks of Filming

Before she was the intense Dunder Mifflin executive Jan Levinson on The Office, actress Melora Hardin was cast in a career-changing role: Marty McFly's girlfriend, Jennifer Parker, in the 1985 classic Back to the Future. However, in a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, Hardin recalled the 'huge disappointment' of being fired from the film weeks into shooting due to a surprising reason that had nothing to do with her performance.

The Casting Domino Effect

Hardin had already filmed for several weeks opposite the original Marty McFly, actor Eric Stoltz. However, the production famously decided to recast its lead role a stunning six weeks into shooting, bringing in their first choice, Michael J. Fox. According to Fox's memoir, Future Boy, the creative team felt Stoltz, while talented, wasn't the right comedic fit. This single decision set off a chain reaction that cost Hardin her job.

It was apparently the two female executives at the time that thought that it was emasculating for their lead male character to be in scenes with a woman that was taller than him.

— Melora Hardin

"I Burst Into Tears": A Career-Defining Rejection

The news was devastating for the young actress. "I was 17, you know. I burst into tears," Hardin told Entertainment Weekly. "It was very sad... that I remember being very tough." The role of Jennifer Parker ultimately went to Claudia Wells, who was herself replaced by Elisabeth Shue for the sequels, Back to the Future Part II (1989) and Part III (1990).

Despite the heartbreak, Hardin maintains a positive perspective, noting that this early career failure paved the way for her future successes. "If I had done it, I'm sure it would have all gone in a different way," she reflected. "I wouldn't have done The Office."

To be where I am, you have to have failed more than you've succeeded... You just have to fail better, and keep failing better.

— Melora Hardin, on resilience in Hollywood