Ironically, Wells’ relationship to the role of Jennifer was already dramatic long before “Back to the Future Part II.” The actress was originally cast in the “Back to the Future” role and even did some prep work with original Marty McFly actor Eric Stoltz. However, as the film prepared, Wells learned that a sitcom she had previously been involved in was going into production, which meant the role had to be recast. Melora Hardin, an actress who would later return as Trudy Monk in “Monk” and Jan Levinson in “The Office”, was then given the role. Wells was exceptionally pleased with these events, as she recalled to People Magazine in 2015:
“When I had to drop out, I had no qualms. And normally, if I didn’t get the role I wanted, I would have a lot of anxiety. But for some reason, I just felt a feeling of peace. Like, “It’s okay, it’s going to be okay.”
As Wells guessed, fate wasn’t over with “Back to the Future” and its casting issues – infamously, Stoltz’s portrayal of Marty McFly wasn’t what Zemeckis and Gale envisioned, and the filmmakers made the choice to let him go and recast with their original first choice for the role, Michael J. Fox. While Fox struck a deal with producer Steven Spielberg and “Family Ties” creator Gary David Goldberg that would allow him to do double duty on the show and the movie, Zemeckis and Gale found the lead man change necessitated a change of female lead, given Hardin’s stature at 5’7″. Wells explained, “I’m 5’3 1/2″, and Michael is 5’4″, so I got my share back! How cool is that? It’s absolutely fate.”