Lea Thompson has revealed that two performers played Howard the Duck in the 1986 film, one of them a young boy and the other the actor Ed Gale.
The Back to the Future star shared the details on the Taboo’s Comics & Kicks podcast.
“Well, there was a person inside the duck suit,” she said.
Read more: Jeremy Renner predicts ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ heroes are in trouble for one reason
Thompson explained that a boy, whom she estimated to be about seven or eight, played the character for part of the shoot.
The other was Gale, who she called “the stunt duck” because he was older and the work was difficult and clumsy.
Gale is best known for physically performing as the killer doll Chucky in the Child’s Play films. He died in May 2025, aged 61.
Howard the Duck was a live-action Marvel adaptation about a sarcastic humanoid duck pulled from his planet to Earth to stop an alien invasion.
Thompson played struggling rock singer Beverly Switzler, with Tim Robbins co-starring.
The film was George Lucas’s first executive-producing credit after the original Star Wars trilogy.
It is widely considered a flop, though it earned around $37,962,774 internationally, according to Box Office Mojo, and has since built a cult following.
Read more: Marvel announces new ‘Zodiac’ TV series: Here’s everything we know
