Iconic 80s movie star looks unrecognizable 40 years after hit movie
The former child actor now has a very different job
CHUNK TO HUNK Iconic 80s movie star looks unrecognizable as he steps out in LA 40 years after smash hit movie – do you recognise him?
ICONIC 80s movie star Jeff Cohen looked totally unrecognizable this week as he stepped out in Los Angeles.
Best known for playing Chunk, the beloved truffle-shuffler from the 1985 Spielberg-produced hit, The Goonies, Cohen looked world's away from his onscreen persona.
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Jeff looks unrecognizable from his Goonies days
Credit: BackGrid
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The former child star says that his career stopped when he went through puberty
Credit: BackGrid
6
The Goonies will celebrate its 40th anniversary this year
Credit: Alamy
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Jeff's played Chunk in the iconic film
Credit: Alamy
Now 50, the one-time child star currently works as a successful entertainment lawyer.
Dressed in a suit jacket, jeans, and a maroon fedora, Jeff was a far cry from the ice cream-obsessed, Hawaii-shirt-wearing-mischief-maker he played as a kid.
Before leaving acting behind, Cohen appeared in hit TV shows like Family Ties, The Facts of Life, and Webster, but he says it was puberty that ended his Hollywood dream.
"There were basically about four fat kids in town, so every time there was a fat kid role, you saw the same people at the audition," Jeff once shared.
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Read more in Celebrity
SO FINE! '80s singer known for hit song looks completely different in rare LA outing
"It was survival of the fattest. But when I hit puberty, it was a career ender for me. I was transforming from Chunk to hunk and I couldn't get roles any more."
He added: "It was terrible. My first love was acting, but puberty had other ideas. It was a forced retirement. I didn't give up acting. Acting gave me up."
Cohen, who studied at UC Berkeley and later went to UCLA School of Law, co-founded Cohen Gardner LLP in 2002.
Despite his fame as a child, he says clients have no problem taking him seriously.
Advertisement
"My clients get a kick out of the fact their lawyer is Chunk. They dig it," he said. "With my job, I'm dealing with legitimately famous people, so it's just silly and fun.
"I'm usually only the fifth most famous person in the room at any one time."
Cohen's memories of making The Goonies remain vivid.
"It was great," he recalled. "For me, the best part about it was Richard Donner the director. He was big on letting the kids be kids and I think that's one of the reasons the movie stands up today."
Advertisement
He continued: "People still watch the movie themselves or watch it with their own kids. Even though it's very eighties in the fashions, it's still kids being kids.
"Richard Donner wanted us to improvise, talk over each other, push and shove and kind of do our thing.
The Goonies Andy actress Kerri Green is unrecognisable 37 years after the movie
"I think that's one of the reasons people like it. It doesn't seem like kids acting. It's just kids being themselves, which Richard really encouraged. He wanted us to be comfortable."
Recalling one particular moment with Donner, Jeff said: "In the scene where Sloth picks me up while I'm strapped to a chair, I was told he wasn't going to pick me up because John Matuszak's back hurt.
Advertisement
"But of course, John was so strong it was nothing to him, so he just picked me up and kissed me. My shock and horror was real. I wasn't that good an actor – that was actual terror on my face."
Earlier this year, Jeff reunited with his co-stars to celebrate fellow Goonie Ke Huy Quan, who played Data, as he was honored at the TCL Chinese Theater.
Cohen, along with Corey Feldman, Josh Brolin, Kerri Green, and screenwriter Chris Columbus turned out to support Quan, who won an Oscar last year for Everything Everywhere All at Once.
Jeff, now Ke Huy Quan's entertainment lawyer, gave his friend a proud bear hug as the group relived their childhood memories on the red carpet.
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6
The cast got together to celebrate Ke Huy Quan
Credit: Reuters
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The former child actor now has a very different job CHUNK TO HUNK Iconic 80s movie star looks unrecognizable as he steps out in LA 40 years after smash hit movie – do you recognise him? ICONIC 80s movie star Jeff Cohen looked totally unrecognizable this week as he stepped out in Los Angeles. Best known for playing Chunk, the beloved truffle-shuffler from the 1985 Spielberg-produced hit, The Goonies, Cohen looked world's away from his onscreen persona. Advertisement 6 Jeff looks unrecognizable from his Goonies days Credit: BackGrid 6 The former child star says that his career stopped when he went through puberty Credit: BackGrid 6 The Goonies will celebrate its 40th anniversary this year Credit: Alamy 6 Jeff's played Chunk in the iconic film Credit: Alamy Now 50, the one-time child star currently works as a successful entertainment lawyer. Dressed in a suit jacket, jeans, and a maroon fedora, Jeff was a far cry from the ice cream-obsessed, Hawaii-shirt-wearing-mischief-maker he played as a kid. Before leaving acting behind, Cohen appeared in hit TV shows like Family Ties, The Facts of Life, and Webster, but he says it was puberty that ended his Hollywood dream. "There were basically about four fat kids in town, so every time there was a fat kid role, you saw the same people at the audition," Jeff once shared. Advertisement Read more in Celebrity SO FINE! '80s singer known for hit song looks completely different in rare LA outing "It was survival of the fattest. But when I hit puberty, it was a career ender for me. I was transforming from Chunk to hunk and I couldn't get roles any more." He added: "It was terrible. My first love was acting, but puberty had other ideas. It was a forced retirement. I didn't give up acting. Acting gave me up." Cohen, who studied at UC Berkeley and later went to UCLA School of Law, co-founded Cohen Gardner LLP in 2002. Despite his fame as a child, he says clients have no problem taking him seriously. Advertisement "My clients get a kick out of the fact their lawyer is Chunk. They dig it," he said. "With my job, I'm dealing with legitimately famous people, so it's just silly and fun. "I'm usually only the fifth most famous person in the room at any one time." Cohen's memories of making The Goonies remain vivid. "It was great," he recalled. "For me, the best part about it was Richard Donner the director. He was big on letting the kids be kids and I think that's one of the reasons the movie stands up today." Advertisement He continued: "People still watch the movie themselves or watch it with their own kids. Even though it's very eighties in the fashions, it's still kids being kids. "Richard Donner wanted us to improvise, talk over each other, push and shove and kind of do our thing. The Goonies Andy actress Kerri Green is unrecognisable 37 years after the movie "I think that's one of the reasons people like it. It doesn't seem like kids acting. It's just kids being themselves, which Richard really encouraged. He wanted us to be comfortable." Recalling one particular moment with Donner, Jeff said: "In the scene where Sloth picks me up while I'm strapped to a chair, I was told he wasn't going to pick me up because John Matuszak's back hurt. Advertisement "But of course, John was so strong it was nothing to him, so he just picked me up and kissed me. My shock and horror was real. I wasn't that good an actor – that was actual terror on my face." Earlier this year, Jeff reunited with his co-stars to celebrate fellow Goonie Ke Huy Quan, who played Data, as he was honored at the TCL Chinese Theater. Cohen, along with Corey Feldman, Josh Brolin, Kerri Green, and screenwriter Chris Columbus turned out to support Quan, who won an Oscar last year for Everything Everywhere All at Once. Jeff, now Ke Huy Quan's entertainment lawyer, gave his friend a proud bear hug as the group relived their childhood memories on the red carpet. Advertisement 6 The cast got together to celebrate Ke Huy Quan Credit: Reuters
