Jerry O’Connell recently recalled the support he received from his late Stand by Me costar River Phoenix and his family.
In a recent episode of Burtcast, the actor said that Phoenix was one of the “most talented, most beautiful” people he knew. O’Connell said Phoenix’s mother advised his parents on getting him an agent following the success of Stand by Me.
“She was like, ‘Hey, Linda. This movie’s a hit. You got to get an agent. This is what’s got to happen,'” he said. “That’s when I got an agent and everything, but it was so funny.”
O’Connell and his own family were inexperienced with show business. The TV host’s father had initially believed that Stand by Me would never get released. The patriarch had seen other people create and fail to release films in the past.
“It’s behind you,” O’Connell remembered his father saying. “It was a fun experience. Now, we get back to real life. Okay. I don’t want to hear about it ever again.”
The Sliders actor proved his dad wrong, as Stand by Me became a hit among critics and at the box office. It has become a classic in the coming-of-age genre.
Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
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The Kangaroo Jack star said he had grown up distrusting of people because of the environment he was raised in. However, the Phoenix family had immediately let him in.
“I have a real bond with all the Phoenixes, all of them, because they’re the kindest family,” O’Connell said.
River Phoenix died of a drug overdose at the age of 23 on Oct. 31, 1993. Even during his short life, he racked up numerous accomplishments, including an Academy Award nomination for his role in 1988’s Running on Empty.
Listen to the full Burtcast with Jerry O’Connell below.
