Lea Thompson has been turning heads for years with her talent and good looks, with the actress leaving her mark on cinema history in both Back to the Future and Back to the Future 2 as her breakout roles. Naturally with such a massive hit so early in her career and the massive talent to back it up, where did Lea Thompson go?
Hiding in plain sight, really, but it’s been a long journey from then to now, plenty of twists and turns leading to where she is now and the family she’s grown over the years. Thompson is still working steadily in Hollywood, just maybe not where everyone is looking.
Back in Time
Born in 1961 as one of five siblings, Thompson was determined to be a dancer from a young age before being disqualified due to her height. She threw herself full-on into acting instead, landing her first on-screen role in the much-reviled Jaws 3D. Which is like an added level of the joke with the Jaws display in Back to the Future 2.
She caught on quickly in the industry, going on to immediately be cast in Red Dawn and Back to the Future to put her at a running start for the second half of the 80s. While Red Dawn garnered a cult following in years to come, it was Back to the Future that truly launched her career at the time.
Playing both the young and older versions of Marty McFly’s mom, Thompson was effortlessly charming and the chemistry alongside Michael J Fox was far too good for actors that were supposed to be playing mother and son. Seriously, Back to the Future is like a study in Oedipal complexes in time travel.
The Power of Love
The franchise lit the fuse on Thompson’s firework, allowing her to go anywhere and do anything in Hollywood that she desired. It’s always at the peak where you’re most vulnerable to mistakes though, and Lea made the unfortunate mistake of starring in one of Marvel and George Lucas’ most legendary films.
Lucas bet big on Howard the Duck, Skywalker Ranch big. The producer was expecting an easy return on a quirky comedy about a duck with a proclivity for not-so-child-friendly things. Lea Thompson had the misfortune to play the love interest of said duck. She was still human though, just to be clear. It’s somehow worse than almost making out with your future son.
Thankfully the other two Back to the Future movies followed to close out the decade, somewhat cleansing the audience’s palates of this abomination against god. Notably, Thompson would get her karmic reward for suffering through Howard the Duck and marry her husband Howard Deutch in 1989.
She would have a mostly normal career in the 90s, mostly showing up in theatrical films like Dennis the Menace and The Little Rascals, while also working as a mom at home to daughters Madelyn and Zoey Deutch, themselves actors today with Zoey making a name in films like Zombieland 2: Double Tap.
The 90s and Huey Lewis Puns End
Lea Thompson would land the lead role in the sitcom Caroline in the City from 1995-1999, even making a crossover appearance on Friends during the show’s run. She would finish out the 90s strong and head into a new journey starting with the new millennium: directing.
Starring in a series of television films called Jane Doe, playing the title role and eventually directing two of the films. Directing would become a recurring love for the actress, and she would alternate between directing and acting from then on, taking roles in front of and behind the camera.
Lea would gain another steady television role with the ABC Family series Switched At Birth, starring in the show until its end in 2017 as well as directing numerous episodes. Thompson would also go on to direct and star in The Year of Spectacular Men in 2017, which brought critical acclaim for both her and her daughters, who starred in the project alongside her.
What is Lea Thompson Doing Now?
Still going strong, Thompson has projects lined up to keep her busy in the coming years between acting and directing, most recently pulling double duty in Star Trek: Picard on Paramount Plus as well as episodes of The Goldbergs and smaller films.
She’s currently developing her own project, a film called Sisters Before Misters which is in early pre-production. While there doesn’t seem to be much in store as of yet she did direct an episode of the show Will Trent most recently. With her portfolio and history though, Thompson certainly has her pick over what she wants to do.
Though some do wonder about the star’s choices, considering she claims to have pitched a Howard the Duck sequel to Marvel. I mean… why? Like, I’m all for the chaotic neutrals of the world but that’s a little far.
When not acting, Lea enjoys spending time with her husband and family, though her two daughters are now grown and deep into their own careers. Even with not much planned for the future, it likely won’t be long until she pops up on the screen again.
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