Michael J. Fox Says Back to the Future III Sparked Christopher Lloyd Friendship: 'A Great Guy'

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Michael J. Fox's close bond with Christopher Lloyd dates as far back as 1885.

The Golden Globe winner, 61, reminisced about his friendship with Lloyd, 84, to Variety at the Sundance Film Festival, revealing the pair only became close while making 1990's Back to the Future Part III, the concluding chapter in the beloved time-travel series.

"Chris is a great guy. He's very enigmatic," he said. "It took me a few films to get to know him. On Back to the Future Part III we connected in a way we hadn't on the other films. I came to see how much he loved acting. I never got that before."

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"To sit down and talk about acting, and talk about Shakespeare and King Lear…This guy can play King Lear! People don't expect that of him. He's full of surprises," Fox added.

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He and Lloyd first teamed up for the roles of high schooler Marty McFly and eccentric scientist Emmett "Doc" Brown, respectively, in 1985. They returned for a sequel in 1989 before taking on the third installment, which depicted the pair exploring the 1800s Wild West.

"He can tell a movie's worth of story in two seconds, and you get it. Us regular actors have to lay out hours and hours to get the information out," Fox noted. "Chris is brilliant at it. His love of film and his love of being an actor…He's not just a crazy guy, he's an artist."

Fox and his longtime pal had their latest reunion onstage at New York Comic-Con in October, when Fox praised Lloyd for remaining in his life after Fox's Parkinson's Disease diagnosis in 1991.

RELATED VIDEO: Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd Reunite at Comic-Con, 37 Years After Back to the Future

"Parkinson's is the gift that keeps on taking. But it's a gift, and I wouldn't change it for anything," Fox said. "People like Chris have been there a lot for me, and so many of you have. It's not about what I have, it's about what I've been given, the voice to get this done, and help people out."

Lloyd was also there when the beloved actor was honored at the Governors Awards in November in Los Angeles.

Fox is currently at Sundance, promoting the world premiere of his documentary Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie.