WEBVTT - Rising Star 0:00:00.120 --> 0:00:03.040 This show contains mature content and adult themes. 0:00:03.200 --> 0:00:05.399 It may not be suitable for young audiences. 0:00:06.760 --> 0:00:10.520 From Variety and iHeart Podcasts, this is season two of 0:00:10.600 --> 0:00:11.760 Variety Confidential. 0:00:14.360 --> 0:00:14.720 He Was. 0:00:17.360 --> 0:00:20.960 Supporters St. Paulish one three. 0:00:24.520 --> 0:00:25.400 Library Bokay. 0:00:26.640 --> 0:00:30.400 This season on Variety Confidential, we peel back the layers 0:00:30.440 --> 0:00:33.960 of actor River Phoenix's meteoric rise to fame, from his 0:00:34.120 --> 0:00:38.400 unconventional childhood to becoming the alternative poster boy of a generation. 0:00:39.520 --> 0:00:43.120 We'll explore his powerful performances in classics like stand By 0:00:43.159 --> 0:00:48.760 Me and My Own Private Idaho, You're. 0:00:48.640 --> 0:00:50.840 Never going to get out of this town now, my boy. 0:00:51.200 --> 0:00:55.160 Examining how his raw talent and undeniable charisma left an 0:00:55.160 --> 0:00:57.120 indelible mark on the film industry. 0:00:57.680 --> 0:01:01.200 You guys were ussia dead body. A find a normal 0:01:01.280 --> 0:01:05.600 family and a good upbringing, and I would have been 0:01:06.440 --> 0:01:07.760 so well adjusted person. 0:01:09.959 --> 0:01:15.559 Depends on what you call normal. I'm Tachiana Siegel, Executive 0:01:15.640 --> 0:01:18.800 editor of Film and Media at Variety, and I'm here 0:01:18.840 --> 0:01:21.360 to take you through the extraordinary life of one of 0:01:21.360 --> 0:01:26.119 Hollywood's most celebrated stars, River Phoenix. His is a name 0:01:26.240 --> 0:01:30.800 that still resonates with cinophiles and casual moviegoers alike. Nearly 0:01:30.880 --> 0:01:35.520 three decades after his untimely passing. But River's story isn't 0:01:35.640 --> 0:01:39.080 just about the bright lights of Hollywood. It's a tale 0:01:39.120 --> 0:01:43.839 of youthful ambition, artistic integrity, and the dark side of fame. 0:01:45.120 --> 0:01:49.640 Exclusive interviews with Rivers co stars and friends, including Corey 0:01:49.680 --> 0:01:53.720 Feldman and Samantha Mathis, will shed light on who River 0:01:53.800 --> 0:01:58.560 really was off camera. Whether you're a longtime fan or 0:01:58.720 --> 0:02:02.200 just discovering his war, join us as we speak with 0:02:02.320 --> 0:02:07.240 industry insiders and Varieties experts to explore the brilliance and 0:02:07.320 --> 0:02:12.919 complexity of River Phoenix. Let's dive into the life, legacy, 0:02:12.960 --> 0:02:16.240 and lasting impact of an actor who burned bright and 0:02:16.320 --> 0:02:20.800 left us far too soon. This is Variety Confidential, the 0:02:20.840 --> 0:02:22.800 life and legend of River Phoenix. 0:02:23.720 --> 0:02:29.079 In fact, I would rather quit while I was ahead. Yeah, 0:02:29.080 --> 0:02:30.800 there's no need overstanding. You're welcome. 0:02:31.440 --> 0:02:35.519 River Phoenix was born on August twenty third, nineteen seventy, 0:02:35.960 --> 0:02:40.720 into a family that embraced an unconventional lifestyle. His parents, 0:02:40.919 --> 0:02:44.760 Arlen and John Bottom, were deeply ameshed in counterculture of 0:02:44.800 --> 0:02:48.280 the nineteen sixties and lived mostly on the road with 0:02:48.320 --> 0:02:53.840 their five children, River the eldest, followed by Rain, Joaquin 0:02:54.360 --> 0:02:58.360 Liberty and Summer. When he was a young boy, River's 0:02:58.400 --> 0:03:02.080 parents became missionaries for the religious cult Children of God, 0:03:02.800 --> 0:03:06.959 also known as the Family. John and Arland's work took 0:03:07.000 --> 0:03:10.639 them to South America, but they eventually became disillusioned with 0:03:10.760 --> 0:03:14.480 the group and relocated the family to Florida. There, they 0:03:14.520 --> 0:03:19.320 adopted a new surname, Phoenix, a symbol of rebirth. By 0:03:19.400 --> 0:03:24.000 all accounts, it was a nurturing, if unusual environment. River 0:03:24.120 --> 0:03:27.960 and his siblings never had a formal education, but their parents' 0:03:27.960 --> 0:03:32.840 bohemian lifestyle allowed the children to explore any creativity or 0:03:32.880 --> 0:03:37.640 self expression to its fullest extent. They showed an aptitude 0:03:37.640 --> 0:03:40.840 for acting in music, and at times busk to help 0:03:40.920 --> 0:03:42.400 bring in money for the family. 0:03:42.960 --> 0:03:47.080 Well, in my family, throughout the years, we've been moving frequently, 0:03:47.200 --> 0:03:52.880 whether it be for financial reasons or for different movies 0:03:52.920 --> 0:03:55.880 that we were working on. So I've been very used 0:03:55.880 --> 0:03:59.680 to that spontaneous, must pick it up and move on 0:04:00.560 --> 0:04:01.080 kind of thing. 0:04:02.760 --> 0:04:07.400 River's brother, actor Joaquin Phoenix, recently detailed their upbringing and 0:04:07.440 --> 0:04:11.840 sibling dynamic on comedian Theo Vaughn's podcast this past weekend 0:04:11.920 --> 0:04:14.160 with Theo Vaughn, Why was. 0:04:14.120 --> 0:04:22.400 The second son uh? And uh, and my brother was 0:04:22.440 --> 0:04:25.400 like quite a force and was definitely like I don't know, 0:04:25.400 --> 0:04:28.040 almost like mythical or Shakespearean or you know, maybe it's 0:04:28.040 --> 0:04:30.080 because he he died or something, but he's like, you know, 0:04:30.120 --> 0:04:32.440 he was like the first son and he was and 0:04:32.520 --> 0:04:36.800 he was he was incredible, and he was such a 0:04:36.800 --> 0:04:40.000 force within our family. It was kind of like the 0:04:40.000 --> 0:04:44.840 the the the guiding light in some ways. He's one 0:04:44.839 --> 0:04:47.520 of the acted first and we used to sing on 0:04:47.560 --> 0:04:50.000 the streets and he played guitar and kind of like 0:04:50.720 --> 0:04:54.039 over singer. He was the lead singer and he was 0:04:54.080 --> 0:04:57.599 the guitarist and kind of oversaw everybody. And he was 0:04:57.640 --> 0:05:01.880 such a like a strong but gentle force within the family. 0:05:03.200 --> 0:05:07.360 This upbringing not only shaped rivers worldview, but also ignited 0:05:07.400 --> 0:05:11.200 his artistic passions early on, laying the groundwork for his 0:05:11.240 --> 0:05:15.600 future career in Hollywood. His breakthrough came in nineteen eighty 0:05:15.640 --> 0:05:19.760 five with the TV movie Surviving a Family and Crisis, 0:05:20.160 --> 0:05:23.520 which showcased his talent to a broader audience, but it 0:05:23.560 --> 0:05:27.040 was nineteen eighty six's Stand By Me that catapulted him 0:05:27.080 --> 0:05:31.440 into the spotlight, establishing him as a household name in 0:05:31.520 --> 0:05:35.120 Variety's Oral history of the movie. Director Rob Reiner says 0:05:35.160 --> 0:05:38.600 it was Phoenix's star power that helped the movie find distribution. 0:05:40.000 --> 0:05:43.240 As he tells it, nearly every studio in Hollywood had 0:05:43.240 --> 0:05:46.000 passed on the Coming of Age film when they convinced 0:05:46.040 --> 0:05:50.040 New Columbia Pictures production head Guy McElwain to screen it. 0:05:50.880 --> 0:05:53.920 But the most crucial members of the audience were mcelwain's 0:05:53.920 --> 0:05:57.640 two daughters. About halfway through, they were in love with 0:05:57.720 --> 0:06:01.240 River Phoenix. Bruce A. Evans, who produced and co wrote 0:06:01.240 --> 0:06:05.200 the film, remembers in the film, fourteen year old River 0:06:05.400 --> 0:06:09.839 is a standout as spiritual leader Chris Chambers, alongside co 0:06:10.000 --> 0:06:14.800 stars Corey Feldman as hot tempered Teddy Duchamp, Will Wheaton 0:06:14.920 --> 0:06:19.560 as sensitive Gordie la Chance, and Jerry O'Connell as wisecracking 0:06:19.720 --> 0:06:24.360 Verne Tessio. It's been decades since, but Corey Feldman says 0:06:24.400 --> 0:06:27.320 he still cherishes those memories on the stand by Me 0:06:27.480 --> 0:06:30.159 set with River, whom he called one of the great 0:06:30.400 --> 0:06:31.880 iconic actors of our time. 0:06:33.880 --> 0:06:35.880 I would say River was like the James Dean of 0:06:35.920 --> 0:06:39.800 our generation. You know, he had all that prospect, he 0:06:39.839 --> 0:06:43.640 had all that potential. Everybody knew that he was going 0:06:43.680 --> 0:06:45.200 to be an Academy Award winner. 0:06:45.240 --> 0:06:47.400 Everybody knew that he was going to be. 0:06:47.880 --> 0:06:50.560 Hailed as one of the great iconic actors of our time, 0:06:50.600 --> 0:06:51.880 and we knew it at that time. 0:06:51.960 --> 0:06:52.480 We knew it. 0:06:53.640 --> 0:06:56.080 I just assumed he would always be part of my life, 0:06:56.120 --> 0:06:58.120 and I always assumed we'd have many more times to 0:06:58.160 --> 0:07:00.599 work together. I figured we'd end up doing music together. 0:07:00.640 --> 0:07:03.240 I figured we do more films together. To me, it 0:07:03.320 --> 0:07:06.320 was a very open ended relationship that had only started 0:07:06.360 --> 0:07:12.360 to bud. And that was that was the hardest gut 0:07:12.400 --> 0:07:15.559 punch of the whole thing, was knowing that my friend 0:07:15.640 --> 0:07:17.880 was gone and that wasn't going to happen again, and 0:07:17.920 --> 0:07:20.520 there was no opportunity for us to ever create together 0:07:20.720 --> 0:07:24.160 and to stand together. I mean to think about what 0:07:24.200 --> 0:07:26.400 I've stood for in my life and the things that 0:07:26.440 --> 0:07:28.960 he wanted to stand for or was standing for at 0:07:28.960 --> 0:07:32.760 the time of his loss, and to think what magic 0:07:33.440 --> 0:07:37.960 we could have stirred up together, the powerful statements, the 0:07:38.000 --> 0:07:42.440 powerful moments, the things that we could have raised awareness 0:07:42.480 --> 0:07:45.320 on if we joined forces and work together as adults, 0:07:46.040 --> 0:07:49.200 you know, And that's the tragedy to me is just 0:07:49.280 --> 0:07:52.640 you know, like, wow, We'll never have that chance to 0:07:52.680 --> 0:07:54.080 see what might have become of it. 0:07:54.920 --> 0:07:57.200 Corey, take us back to when you were cast and 0:07:57.240 --> 0:08:00.000 stand By Me. What do you remember from that time. 0:08:00.240 --> 0:08:02.440 I'm filming in the summer of nineteen eighty five. 0:08:03.200 --> 0:08:05.880 Well, what I remember about being cast in stand By 0:08:05.880 --> 0:08:09.240 Me was going into the audition while I was working 0:08:09.240 --> 0:08:13.000 on the ADR for Goonies. Actually we were on the 0:08:13.040 --> 0:08:15.160 sound stages. We did about I think it was like 0:08:16.400 --> 0:08:19.120 sixty days worth of ADR on Goonies. 0:08:19.120 --> 0:08:19.760 It was a lot. 0:08:19.800 --> 0:08:21.600 We were there for like two months. We had our 0:08:21.880 --> 0:08:24.360 school trailers out in the parking line, all that stuff. 0:08:24.480 --> 0:08:26.320 So I got an audition to read for a Rob 0:08:26.400 --> 0:08:29.320 Ryanan movie called The Body, and that's what it was 0:08:29.360 --> 0:08:32.120 called when I went into audition for it, and I 0:08:32.200 --> 0:08:34.720 remember it was a pretty big call. There was a 0:08:34.720 --> 0:08:37.840 lot of kids in the room, and I remember Rob 0:08:37.880 --> 0:08:40.679 asking me to come in two or three times to 0:08:40.720 --> 0:08:41.760 try different. 0:08:41.400 --> 0:08:43.360 Things and all in the same day. 0:08:43.400 --> 0:08:45.800 But I mean like going back and forth and trying 0:08:45.840 --> 0:08:47.880 different things, working with the character a little. 0:08:47.679 --> 0:08:49.160 Bit, and that was it. 0:08:49.360 --> 0:08:52.120 I mean, it was a pretty simple process. After I 0:08:52.200 --> 0:08:54.160 think there was a callback. I think there was like 0:08:54.200 --> 0:08:56.559 two calls and that was it. And then we got 0:08:56.559 --> 0:08:56.959 the offer. 0:08:58.000 --> 0:08:59.959 So when you guys would see each other at casting 0:09:00.200 --> 0:09:03.400 or whatever, were you often going up for the same roles. 0:09:04.080 --> 0:09:07.640 But it was movies like Explorers where you know, I 0:09:07.800 --> 0:09:11.480 was promised a role. I originally was reading for River's role. 0:09:11.600 --> 0:09:13.920 River got the role. Then I ended up reading for 0:09:14.240 --> 0:09:17.240 the part that Jason Present ended up playing, which I 0:09:17.320 --> 0:09:20.640 believe I got and was going to me, and then 0:09:20.640 --> 0:09:23.240 I got Goonies and had to turn it down. So 0:09:23.320 --> 0:09:25.160 there was a lot of that kind of stuff, you know, 0:09:25.200 --> 0:09:27.040 And that was it was that way always with me 0:09:27.120 --> 0:09:28.800 and River, and it was also that way with me 0:09:28.840 --> 0:09:31.480 and Corey Haim. So a lot of people don't realize that, 0:09:32.160 --> 0:09:34.040 and I was one of those people, by the way 0:09:34.040 --> 0:09:36.440 that didn't realize it. But Corey would tell me, I 0:09:36.520 --> 0:09:39.880 actually met you before Laws Boys, and I was like, how, 0:09:40.280 --> 0:09:43.320 And he said, on the audition for Goonies, when I 0:09:43.360 --> 0:09:46.360 went into amblin, you were actually sitting in the waiting room. 0:09:46.800 --> 0:09:48.520 And when I saw that you were going in for 0:09:48.559 --> 0:09:50.640 the same character as me, I knew that I was 0:09:50.640 --> 0:09:52.439 in trouble because I knew that you already had a 0:09:52.480 --> 0:09:55.280 relationship with Steven and blah blah blah. So that was 0:09:55.360 --> 0:09:58.000 kind of one of those interesting things. So Corey was 0:09:58.040 --> 0:09:59.560 one of them. But you know, I didn't see him 0:09:59.559 --> 0:10:01.840 as much as he was from Canada, but River and 0:10:01.880 --> 0:10:05.200 I saw each other on everything. And again Explorers, you know, 0:10:05.400 --> 0:10:07.640 was another movie that he ended up getting. 0:10:07.720 --> 0:10:09.560 I ended up getting it too. We could have ended 0:10:09.600 --> 0:10:10.320 up in that together. 0:10:10.400 --> 0:10:12.559 But then because I got the opera, like I think, 0:10:12.600 --> 0:10:14.520 the same week as Goonies, I couldn't do it. 0:10:15.120 --> 0:10:16.160 Yeah, so there you go. 0:10:17.000 --> 0:10:18.680 Okay, what was the vibe like on set? 0:10:19.440 --> 0:10:20.439 Oh, it's amazing. 0:10:20.559 --> 0:10:22.360 I mean it was. First of all, the thing that 0:10:22.400 --> 0:10:24.480 was great about that film was the fact that you had, 0:10:25.240 --> 0:10:29.920 you know, four serious actors, even though we were kids, 0:10:29.960 --> 0:10:32.679 we all took our craft seriously, and you had a 0:10:32.760 --> 0:10:33.680 very serious. 0:10:33.360 --> 0:10:37.400 Director who had something to prove. You know. This was 0:10:37.440 --> 0:10:40.360 not the Rob Reiner that we think of no of today. 0:10:40.520 --> 0:10:43.120 This was the guy who really had a chip on 0:10:43.120 --> 0:10:46.400 his shoulder because people kept calling him Meatball and he 0:10:46.440 --> 0:10:49.320 did not want to be remembered or referred to as 0:10:49.480 --> 0:10:50.080 the meatball. 0:10:50.480 --> 0:10:51.800 It was like, yeah, that was cute. 0:10:51.800 --> 0:10:54.119 That was a sitcom I did back in the seventies 0:10:54.160 --> 0:10:55.480 and you know, early eighties. 0:10:55.480 --> 0:10:57.920 But I'm done with that now. And now I'm a 0:10:57.960 --> 0:10:58.920 director and I want. 0:10:58.800 --> 0:11:02.200 To be taken and seeing, and so because of that, 0:11:02.320 --> 0:11:04.480 I think that's what kind of got me excited about 0:11:04.600 --> 0:11:07.000 the prospect when I read the stuff that I read 0:11:07.000 --> 0:11:09.280 from the body and said, Okay, this, this will be serious. 0:11:09.360 --> 0:11:11.520 This is not like you know, the other stuff that 0:11:11.520 --> 0:11:14.559 I've done before, where it's action adventure or comedy or horror. 0:11:14.559 --> 0:11:16.880 I mean, this is like really serious stuff. So we 0:11:16.880 --> 0:11:19.520 all got to put our serious faces on and go 0:11:19.640 --> 0:11:21.720 for it. And so when we got up there, the 0:11:21.800 --> 0:11:25.280 beautiful experience was that rob knowing that we were a 0:11:25.280 --> 0:11:28.360 bunch of kids who did have the intention to be serious, 0:11:28.400 --> 0:11:30.440 but at the same time probably came from a myriad 0:11:30.480 --> 0:11:35.280 of backgrounds regarding our instincts, regarding what we were used to. 0:11:35.320 --> 0:11:38.439 If you know, some of us were trained and had class, 0:11:38.640 --> 0:11:41.200 some of us did not, like myself, who never went 0:11:41.240 --> 0:11:43.800 to class, never had a coach, And so some of 0:11:43.840 --> 0:11:45.720 the things that he wanted to do was kind of 0:11:46.320 --> 0:11:50.959 broaden our horizons by introducing us to tricks and games 0:11:51.000 --> 0:11:54.520 and things that were used in acting schools, in acting 0:11:54.559 --> 0:11:57.360 classes and stuff that I personally had never experienced because 0:11:57.360 --> 0:11:59.720 I'd never been to those things. And so we did 0:11:59.760 --> 0:12:04.120 a series of things that he called traditional you know exercises, 0:12:04.600 --> 0:12:08.679 which were exercises from you know, stell Adler or whatever, 0:12:09.080 --> 0:12:12.720 where we would do things like mirroring or volume games 0:12:12.760 --> 0:12:15.600 where we would you know, mirror each other's movements or 0:12:15.640 --> 0:12:19.360 mirror each other's volume, where we would you know, somebody 0:12:19.400 --> 0:12:21.480 would say something and then we would repeat it back 0:12:21.520 --> 0:12:24.000 to them at a louder level, and then they would 0:12:24.080 --> 0:12:26.079 repeat it back at a louder level. Things like that, 0:12:26.240 --> 0:12:29.880 just working off of each other to gain each other's sensibilities, 0:12:30.040 --> 0:12:33.839 understand each other's timing and thought process. And then we'd 0:12:33.840 --> 0:12:37.160 play other games, like you know, kind of fun imagination 0:12:37.360 --> 0:12:41.120 games or improvisation games, different things, just to get our 0:12:41.120 --> 0:12:44.760 brains working and to get us communicating in a way 0:12:44.800 --> 0:12:46.680 that felt like we've known each other for a. 0:12:46.679 --> 0:12:47.800 Lot longer than we had. 0:12:48.240 --> 0:12:50.760 And with River and I, it was really easy because 0:12:51.360 --> 0:12:54.120 River and I had known each other for many years already. 0:12:54.360 --> 0:12:57.960 We'd been seeing each other in different casting offices, you know, 0:12:58.160 --> 0:13:00.640 playing football in the parking lot, link be in the 0:13:00.640 --> 0:13:03.160 parking lot. You know, that's the kind of stuff that 0:13:03.200 --> 0:13:05.720 you did if you got along with another kid in 0:13:05.760 --> 0:13:09.600 the industry, because generally you'd walk into these casting offices 0:13:09.640 --> 0:13:11.560 and they'd be I mean, I'm sure it's still like this, 0:13:11.679 --> 0:13:14.520 but you know, there was fifty kids in there, and 0:13:14.559 --> 0:13:17.040 they're all with their stage moms, and all their stage 0:13:17.040 --> 0:13:19.360 moms have told their kids not to talk to other kids. 0:13:19.679 --> 0:13:22.160 That's like a big thing. And for whatever reason, River 0:13:22.200 --> 0:13:24.040 and I were both always those kids. Like we'd see 0:13:24.080 --> 0:13:25.960 each other, hey man, how are you good? Good, what's 0:13:25.960 --> 0:13:27.839 going on? Let's go outside and talk. Okay, when we 0:13:27.960 --> 0:13:30.480 go outside and just start hanging, you know, and have 0:13:30.600 --> 0:13:32.839 fun like kids do until it was time to get called. 0:13:33.360 --> 0:13:35.840 And I guess, you know, even though we both did 0:13:35.840 --> 0:13:38.400 have stage moms, for whatever reason, I guess they didn't 0:13:38.400 --> 0:13:40.520 mind us hanging out because they knew that we were 0:13:40.559 --> 0:13:43.280 probably the best of the best, and it was probably 0:13:43.320 --> 0:13:45.600 a good idea for us to have a connection or whatever. 0:13:46.000 --> 0:13:48.280 But the point is is that, you know, it wasn't 0:13:48.320 --> 0:13:50.720 frowned upon for us to have that relationship, so we 0:13:50.800 --> 0:13:51.679 kind of built. 0:13:51.440 --> 0:13:54.320 It, you know. And I wouldn't say we were great friends. 0:13:54.360 --> 0:13:55.920 I would just say we were acquaintances. 0:13:55.960 --> 0:13:57.920 But we always kind of had a smile and a 0:13:57.960 --> 0:14:00.400 fondness for when we saw each other and when we 0:14:00.480 --> 0:14:02.600 realized that we were casting the movie together. 0:14:02.960 --> 0:14:04.600 We were both very excited about that. 0:14:05.720 --> 0:14:08.640 Is there an early memory from production that still stands 0:14:08.640 --> 0:14:09.080 out to you. 0:14:10.040 --> 0:14:13.360 I'll never forget the plane ride over, which was one 0:14:13.360 --> 0:14:15.480 of the scariest plane rides of my life. And I'll 0:14:15.520 --> 0:14:17.800 never forget that because River and I were sitting next 0:14:17.840 --> 0:14:20.920 to each other on a small single engine prop lane 0:14:21.320 --> 0:14:24.520 and you know, it's like a puddle jumper, and we 0:14:24.600 --> 0:14:27.760 hit some really serious turbulence on the way over, and 0:14:27.800 --> 0:14:30.160 I'll never forget River and I sitting there fearing for 0:14:30.200 --> 0:14:33.320 our lives, like scared to death, but laughing at the 0:14:33.320 --> 0:14:36.040 same time because the plane was going like this. It 0:14:36.080 --> 0:14:38.200 was rocking so hard that at one point it went 0:14:38.560 --> 0:14:40.680 all the way up on its side. So we're like, whoof, 0:14:40.840 --> 0:14:42.400 like that all the way up on its side, and 0:14:42.440 --> 0:14:45.000 I remember almost going upside down and I'm like kind 0:14:45.040 --> 0:14:47.280 of He's sitting next to me and I'm looking down 0:14:47.280 --> 0:14:49.360 and I'm like, oh my god, are we going to die? 0:14:50.960 --> 0:14:53.040 And we shared that experience of like a near death 0:14:53.080 --> 0:14:56.560 experience together, and that's how we started off our journey 0:14:56.880 --> 0:14:59.240 for a Stand by Me. So I've never told that story, 0:14:59.240 --> 0:15:01.680 but it's an interest one and what. 0:15:01.640 --> 0:15:03.520 Do you remember about River as an actor? 0:15:04.400 --> 0:15:06.520 You know, most young actors, you look at them and 0:15:06.560 --> 0:15:09.600 they don't respond, or if they do respond, they're just 0:15:09.720 --> 0:15:13.200 reading words off the page, but there's no connection there. 0:15:13.560 --> 0:15:16.960 That's the testament of a great actor, and especially at 0:15:16.960 --> 0:15:20.400 a young age, is somebody that's not working off the 0:15:20.440 --> 0:15:24.280 written page, but they're working off the emotion that those 0:15:24.320 --> 0:15:29.040 words make them feel. Whether it's comedy or serious or horror, 0:15:29.040 --> 0:15:32.000 it doesn't matter. It's still the same value, which is 0:15:32.120 --> 0:15:35.120 being real in the moment and giving that real moment 0:15:35.360 --> 0:15:39.480 to your fellow actors to get them the opportunity to 0:15:39.520 --> 0:15:41.080 share in that real moment with you. 0:15:41.680 --> 0:15:44.920 So, yeah, that was the kinship. 0:15:44.960 --> 0:15:47.480 I believe that we had that kind of put us 0:15:47.520 --> 0:15:50.000 above the other guys, not in the sense of actors, 0:15:50.040 --> 0:15:52.320 just in the sense of we had that understanding. 0:15:52.360 --> 0:15:53.720 It was a mutual understanding. 0:15:54.360 --> 0:15:56.760 And then will you know, I think it was kind 0:15:56.800 --> 0:15:58.920 of more from the other side of the training, which 0:15:59.040 --> 0:16:01.920 was very kind of stick to the words on the page. 0:16:02.440 --> 0:16:04.320 You know, do what's in front of you. You know, 0:16:04.440 --> 0:16:05.840 don't kind of do anything. 0:16:05.520 --> 0:16:08.320 Outside of the box unless you're told where River and 0:16:08.360 --> 0:16:10.440 I were much more like go on the feeling go 0:16:10.520 --> 0:16:14.520 on the feeling and then Jerry being so young, he 0:16:14.600 --> 0:16:16.320 was just kind of like, you know, this was his 0:16:16.360 --> 0:16:19.200 first project where him it was like the opposite side 0:16:19.200 --> 0:16:21.000 of the spectrum where he was just like you know, 0:16:21.600 --> 0:16:23.520 a bird being let out of the cage for the 0:16:23.560 --> 0:16:25.120 first time and just kind of like. 0:16:25.120 --> 0:16:27.240 Hey, this is great, this is fun. Let's go everywhere, 0:16:27.280 --> 0:16:29.400 you know, let's do anything. Let's yeah, this is awesome. 0:16:29.680 --> 0:16:32.040 And he was. He brought that to his character, and 0:16:32.080 --> 0:16:35.320 he brought that to the scenes, and all that innocence 0:16:35.360 --> 0:16:38.760 and that sweetness that's in his character I think was 0:16:38.920 --> 0:16:41.120 very genuine to Jerry and who he was. 0:16:42.200 --> 0:16:45.320 What was like the vibe like when cameras aren't rolling, 0:16:45.440 --> 0:16:48.400 he seems like almost like summer camp, like you guys 0:16:48.440 --> 0:16:50.760 are all the same age or were not the same 0:16:50.800 --> 0:16:51.600 age and. 0:16:52.000 --> 0:16:53.080 Had to do a lot of fun. 0:16:53.280 --> 0:16:57.320 It was amazing until River had his family upheaved him 0:16:57.360 --> 0:17:00.240 from the hotel and moved them all to a house 0:17:00.360 --> 0:17:03.120 outside of town. So when we were all staying in 0:17:03.160 --> 0:17:05.920 the same hotel, it was a blast. We were having 0:17:05.960 --> 0:17:08.159 an amazing time. It was maybe a little bit too 0:17:08.280 --> 0:17:13.200 much fun. But when his family, his Mam Marlene, decided 0:17:13.280 --> 0:17:15.800 that they wanted to rent a little, you know, family 0:17:15.920 --> 0:17:20.000 ranch home outside in the suburbs, which was about forty 0:17:20.040 --> 0:17:21.159 minutes away from city. 0:17:21.720 --> 0:17:21.919 You know. 0:17:22.000 --> 0:17:24.720 Obviously I would go out there and stay with them sometimes, 0:17:24.880 --> 0:17:26.840 or River would come stay in my hotel room with 0:17:26.880 --> 0:17:29.720 me sometimes. But for the most part, it created the 0:17:29.800 --> 0:17:32.439 separation between us, which was kind of depressing because we 0:17:32.440 --> 0:17:36.199 were really excited and enjoying that camaraderie and enjoying that 0:17:36.280 --> 0:17:39.000 kind of summer camp vibe, which of course you still 0:17:39.000 --> 0:17:40.479 got on the set, but it was a little bit 0:17:40.520 --> 0:17:41.520 different because you're working. 0:17:41.960 --> 0:17:43.720 So but we had some great times. 0:17:43.760 --> 0:17:46.720 I mean, that was the first nightclub I ever went 0:17:46.760 --> 0:17:49.240 to in my life, was with River, and it was 0:17:49.280 --> 0:17:54.200 an under eighteen, like an age fifteen to eighteen type nightclub. 0:17:54.680 --> 0:17:56.159 And I don't even know how. I guess it was 0:17:56.200 --> 0:17:58.400 all ages because we were not that old. We were 0:17:58.440 --> 0:18:01.240 only thirteen. I don't know how we got into that place, 0:18:01.280 --> 0:18:03.480 but they were letting us in. So we went to 0:18:03.520 --> 0:18:05.720 our first night club for kids, and it was all, 0:18:05.800 --> 0:18:08.040 you know, like I said, thirteen to eighteen year olds, 0:18:08.560 --> 0:18:12.159 you know, dancing to depeche Mode and all the goth 0:18:12.280 --> 0:18:14.360 type eighties music that was out there, and I'd come 0:18:14.359 --> 0:18:16.800 in and River and I would have little Michael Jackson 0:18:16.920 --> 0:18:19.880 dance offs. People don't realize this, but River could also 0:18:20.040 --> 0:18:23.639 dance and he liked to dance like Michael also, although 0:18:23.680 --> 0:18:26.160 it was never seen on camera, but he would do it. 0:18:26.720 --> 0:18:29.720 And we would go to this nightclub called the Met 0:18:30.240 --> 0:18:32.240 that was the name of the club. Actually just ran 0:18:32.320 --> 0:18:35.639 into somebody at the comic con that I did last 0:18:35.640 --> 0:18:39.680 weekend who was like, Oh, I remember you from Eugene, Oregon. 0:18:39.720 --> 0:18:41.200 I don't know if you know this, but I went 0:18:41.240 --> 0:18:43.200 to that nightclub with you. I said, what was it called. 0:18:43.240 --> 0:18:45.040 They said it was the Met. I was like, that's right, 0:18:45.359 --> 0:18:47.520 so that's what I have that information fresh on me. 0:18:47.560 --> 0:18:50.119 But yeah, So we would go to that nightclub together. 0:18:50.720 --> 0:18:54.480 You know, we famously got drunk together. I think it 0:18:54.560 --> 0:18:57.159 was my first time being drunk, I'm not sure about his. 0:18:57.320 --> 0:19:00.040 And then we also famously smoked weed together for the 0:19:00.040 --> 0:19:04.080 first time, which is really weird, but that was on 0:19:04.160 --> 0:19:07.199 set offset of the movie. We didn't do it on 0:19:07.240 --> 0:19:10.480 set obviously while we were working, but it was through 0:19:11.160 --> 0:19:14.440 people that were associated with the set, and that's how 0:19:14.480 --> 0:19:16.879 we ended up getting the weed in the first place. 0:19:16.920 --> 0:19:19.720 So basically one of the crew members brought us to 0:19:19.840 --> 0:19:23.280 his room and smoked us out, And of course that 0:19:23.400 --> 0:19:26.240 was not you know, that's typely right. We shouldn't be 0:19:26.240 --> 0:19:29.159 doing that, but they did anyway. So but you know, 0:19:29.200 --> 0:19:31.520 it was all in good fun. I mean, I wouldn't 0:19:31.560 --> 0:19:34.920 say that they were trying to, you know, taint the 0:19:35.760 --> 0:19:39.760 clean perception of a young adolescent. But we came to him. 0:19:39.800 --> 0:19:41.560 It's not like he was pushing it on us. We 0:19:41.560 --> 0:19:44.120 were saying, you know, all these kids are smoking weed 0:19:44.160 --> 0:19:46.119 in town and they keep talking to us about it, 0:19:46.160 --> 0:19:48.360 and we don't want to just you know, run off 0:19:48.400 --> 0:19:50.280 with some kids. We'd rather do it with an adult 0:19:50.359 --> 0:19:52.320 who knows what they're doing. And you know, maybe we 0:19:52.359 --> 0:19:54.439 saw that you have a bong in your room. You know, 0:19:54.480 --> 0:19:56.520 we were like hanging out with this guy on the 0:19:56.560 --> 0:19:58.080 crew and we saw a bong in his room in 0:19:58.200 --> 0:20:01.360 River said, you know, look he's got I was like, oh, 0:20:01.520 --> 0:20:04.040 he's like, well, maybe we can ask him. So that's 0:20:04.040 --> 0:20:07.000 what it was about. But anyway, we did it. Rivers 0:20:07.000 --> 0:20:08.960 said he never felt it that day, by the way, 0:20:09.280 --> 0:20:11.800