The Office Star Who Was Fired From A Major Movie Role Because Michael J. Fox Is Short

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"Back to the Future" is the definition of classic cinema. Put plainly, it's one of the best movies ever made – one that also led to an entire trilogy — and it's left behind an enduring legacy. As such, it would've been tough for any actor to miss out on a role in the film, but that's precisely what happened to Melora Hardin, who is best known today as Jan Levinson from "The Office."

Early on in her career, Hardin was actually cast in the role of Jennifer Parker, the girlfriend of Michael J. Fox's Marty McFly in director Robert Zemeckis' sci-fi classic. However, when Eric Stoltz was fired from the role of Marty and replaced by Fox after weeks of shooting, it threw the production into chaos. As a result, Hardin was replaced by Claudia Wells. Why, though? Well, because she was too tall.

"My goal as a child was self-­preservation. Bullies often ridiculed my height, an easy target. I suffered the indignity of short jokes and prejudice against my smallness," as Fox wrote in "Future Boy," a book about the making of the film (via Entertainment Weekly.) Continuing, he explained how this, in part, led to Wells, a shorter actor, replacing Hardin in the 1985 hit:

"I regret that this prejudice inadvertently affected another cast member in 'Back to the Future' — Melora Hardin, the talented actress who had played Marty's girlfriend, Jennifer, opposite the perfectly tall Eric Stoltz. Melora, several inches taller than me, was replaced in the movie after I took over as Marty. Initially, Bob Zemeckis thought perhaps the audience could look past our height difference, but when he quickly surveyed the female members of the crew, they assured him that the tall pretty girl in high school rarely picks the cute short guy."

"Back to the Future" would go on to become one of the biggest hits of the '80s. More recently, Hardin spoke to Entertainment Weekly about losing the role. The actor revealed that it was very tough, resulting in tears shed at the time:

"'Back to the Future' was a huge disappointment. I was 17, you know. I burst into tears. It was very sad. There were quite a few of those that I remember, you know, things that never really got made. But that I remember being very tough."

Hardin also explained that "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." She seemed to have a good attitude about it though adding, "If I had done it, I'm sure it would have all gone in a different way. I wouldn't have done 'The Office.'"

Jan was part of one of the best episodes of "The Office," namely "Dinner Party," and a fixture of the show throughout its run. It's one of the most beloved sitcoms of all time. Also speaking to EW, she stated that failure is, in her eyes, part of success when it comes to an acting career:

"You have to have failed more than you've succeeded. I think people don't realize that when they look at it from the outside — you have to really be somebody who's comfortable with failure, and with putting yourself on the line all the time. That failure doesn't mean anything about you. You just have to fail better, and keep failing better."

You can grab the "Back to the Future" trilogy on 4K or Blu-ray from Amazon.