'Back to the Future: The Musical' Star Shares Inspiring Advice From Michael J. Fox
From one Marty McFly to another! Casey Likes is opening up about the sage advice he received from OG Back to the Future star Michael J. Fox.
Likes, who plays Marty McFly in the new Broadway musical, met Fox for the first time while attending a gala event back in July, an experience the young performer described as "kind of a whirlwind."
"I got to briefly meet him and while we're taking pictures, I kind of whispered to Michael, 'Thank you for everything. Thanks for inspiring everything,'" Likes recalled to PEOPLE in a new interview published Tuesday, Aug. 15.
"He kind of means more to me than just his performance," the 21-year-old added of Fox, who originated the memorable role of Marty McFly in the 1985 hit film.
"I was just kind of trying to let him know that while we were taking pictures," Likes continued, noting that Fox, 62, was "very open and very kind about it."
"He was very much putting the attention on me in a very humble way," he said. "Right before he left, I realized I hadn't asked him the question I wanted to ask him. So I caught up to him and I said, 'Michael, do you have any advice for me before I go out on stage?'"
"And he said, 'Kick ass! If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything,'" Likes remembered Fox saying while quoting one of McFly's famous lines. "And then a minute later, I was walking through the door and I was on stage."
Back to the Future: The Musical is playing now at the Winter Garden Theatre in New York City.
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