Latest news with #RiverPhoenix
Geek Tyrant
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
Fascinating Video Essay Explores The Characters of STAND BY ME and The Real Pain Behind The Acting — GeekTyrant
I've got a very interesting video essay here for you to watch which explores director Rob Reiner's 1986 classic film Stand By Me , and how each actor's background, home life, and trauma was similar to the characters they played. The video comes from The Back Focus and it came with the note: The Stand By Me cast gave some of the most emotionally honest performances in film history-but what if it wasn't acting? This video breaks down how Wil Wheaton, Corey Feldman, River Phoenix, and Jerry O'Connell brought shocking truth to their roles. What makes Stand By Me so powerful, even decades later? In this in-depth video essay, we take a closer look at how each actor's real-life trauma, background, and personality aligned with their character in eerily perfect ways. We explore behind-the-scenes stories, interviews, and the raw emotional weight each child brought to the screen-sometimes unknowingly reliving their own pain. Jerry O'Connell as Vern offers joy and innocence, the comic relief of the film, and the only cast member untouched by personal tragedy at the time. Wil Wheaton as Gordie channels years of emotional neglect and parental disconnection with heartbreaking authenticity. Corey Feldman as Teddy brings real rage, rooted in a traumatic home life, to a role that mirrors his own childhood. River Phoenix as Chris shows wisdom beyond his years-grounded in personal hardship, cult escape, and a deep sensitivity that made him unforgettable. We'll look at how director Rob Reiner intentionally cast real kids who were their characters, how that decision shaped the film, and why these performances still resonate so deeply. If you love Stand By Me, or you've ever wondered why it hits so hard, this is the video for you.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Joe Apollonio Enters the Scene with His Idiosyncratic Brand of Comedy and Amalia Ulman's ‘Magic Farm'
When Joe Apollonio, the 34-year-old New York internet comic with a wild coif of reddish hair, names River Phoenix as one of his favorite actors, it all makes sense. They have a similar countercultural vibe — not to mention fashionably unkempt hairstyle — and a hunger to take on roles that scare them, and often put their own autobiography front and center. 'I get shit sometimes from my friends for not watching certain movies,' Apollonio told IndieWire at a brewery in Bryant Park (though Apollonio is five years sober). 'I would say that I'm a huge fan of River Phoenix's work and Gus Van Sant's work. And then also movies that Michael Pitt's been in the 2000s, like 'The Dreamers.' I would say those are the two actors that I look up to the most. Interestingly enough, they're not comedians.' More from IndieWire 'The Accountant 2' Review: Finance Takes a Backseat to Ben Affleck and Jon Bernthal's Budding Bromance Southampton Playhouse Announces Annual Gary Cooper Festival Apollonio broke out from his long-running Instagram feed of quippy queer characters and outsize personalities with a solo show at Joe's Pub in New York's Noho in summer 2023, one that put his very close relationship with his single mom front and center. He now stars in his friend Amalia Ulman's quirky ethnocentricity satire 'Magic Farm,' which premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, followed by Berlin, and opens from MUBI in theaters this Friday. In it, he plays Justin, the flamboyantly gay cohort of a Vice Media-like documentary crew chasing an influencer in a small town in Argentina. Or, where they think is Argentina anyway, until they end up in the wrong South American country in a town also called San Cristobal. Apollonio grew up in the town of Babylon, Long Island, before moving to New York City after high school, training at Stella Adler and finding small roles on series like 'Betty,' 'Hacks,' and 'Young Sheldon.' 'In 'Hacks,' I played a circuit twink with Owen Thiele. It was just two scenes in one episode. 'Betty,' I played a skater,' Apollonio, a longtime skateboarder himself, said. 'Then, I did 'Young Sheldon.' I played some angsty younger brother to Mandy, and it was fun. They turned that character into a main character on the spinoff of 'Young Sheldon' ['George and Mandy's First Marriage'], but they cast someone else.' Was he disappointed? 'At the time, yeah. Now, I'm over it. If I try to play the tape forward, being in something like 'Magic Farm,' it's an edgy enough thing for me to still be myself with things that I create, and it makes sense because it's on par. It's under the same umbrella. To be in something that mainstream and just for nuclear families in middle America [like 'Young Sheldon'], maybe I would have to censor myself and dilute myself down.' Indeed, Apollonio makes his queerness the focal point of his Instagram comedy, where he has more than 14,000 followers and self-made video posts dating back a decade, often outré-costumed and hilariously, grotesquely Facetuned, dating back to 2014. 'I don't place as much value on [social media] as I used to,' he said. 'I would say that's how it really started, and then I think where it's going to continue is stuff like this and taking my writing and putting it up on stage, or making longer-form videos or movies. Instagram is so oversaturated now with people who think that they're funny, and they can just make a joke about something going on in the zeitgeist. I don't really want any part of that. I want to make things that are valuable to me, and I also don't want to make a bunch of shit for no money and just have it completely sidelined in this thralling crazy pool of the comedy algorithm, so I'm kind of over it.' Apollonio's solo show back at Joe's Pub more fully expressed his particular brand of comedy, which is often all about his closeness with his mom. 'She had a knee replacement last year where I took care of her. It's kind of a vignette into what my life is going to look like at some point, which is a bit scary, but I can't be doing a cross-country move right now unless I have enough money to take her with me,' he said of the thought of moving to L.A. 'The only relieving thing is everyone has to deal with this shit. She's a single mom, and I'm an only child. It's always been just us my entire life; no real semblance of blood family has been in the picture. It's just an added heaviness to it,' he added. 'She thinks my comedy is a little weird. I impersonate her sometimes. It's a central part of my work,' he said. 'It's weird, though, because she's a Baby Boomer, and their notion of Hollywood and acting is far different from what it is now. I've been on TV and stuff, but she's always like, 'When are you going to make it? I wish someone would just discover you.' That's not how it works, though.' Argentine-born Spanish artist-turned-filmmaker Amalia Ulman — the director of 2021's 'El Planeta,' also about an only child's too-closeness with their mother — has been good friends with Apollonio for a few years now, which made it easy to cast him in 'Magic Farm' among an ensemble that includes Chloë Sevigny, Simon Rex, and Alex Wolff. 'People thought Amalia and I were dating,' Apollonio said. 'Maybe we look good together. I don't know.' (In real life, Apollonio is dating trans star Bianca Leigh, who stars on Broadway's 'Oh, Mary!') That friendship eventually led to Chloë Sevigny, with whom Ulman had connected and whom Apollonio met at a Maison Margiela party before they got to work on the script with producer/filmmaker Eugene Kotlyarenko (a producer alongside Riccardo Maddalosso and Alex Hughes). That was not, in fact, the first time Apollonio had encountered the New York City icon. 'I was a barback at this place called Peel's in the Lower East Side. I was like 22, and she was sitting at a table and I had to pour her hot water into her tea, and I was so starstruck that my hands were shaking like fucking crazy as I'm pouring the hot water. She was just kind of looking down. I left the table and was like, 'Wow, I fucking blew it.' I brought that up to Chloe. She didn't remember it,' he recalled. Once production on 'Magic Farm' got underway in 2023, 'We were filming in this town called San Antonio de Areco, which is two hours northwest of Buenos Aires. People go there to vacation; it's kind of like a resort town. It's very small, a lot of horses, a lot of street dogs, a pretty desolate landscape. That's where we shot the whole movie. Then we shot some stuff in New York about a month or so afterward,' he said. 'I don't speak Spanish, so any sort of broken horrible Spanish I would use to order food made me feel super American. I remember the first day I got there, I was feeling pretty good about myself. I was strutting down the street with my aviator glasses on, listening to music. I quickly got out of my own head and realized everyone was staring at me like an alien.' While 'Magic Farm' drummed up buzz at Sundance and then Berlin ('the Germans loved it'), Apollonio said, 'I'm still waiting to see what will come from this,' though he's working on yet another personal project aimed for the stage. 'I don't want to get too much into what it's about, but it's going to be another mother-and-son dynamic show, but it's going to be much more fictional and much more over-the-top and ridiculous,' he said. One thing he's not doing any time soon, and one thing he has in common with his co-star Sevigny? He's not moving to Los Angeles. 'I would need a swimming pool, and a really loving partner, which I do have right now, and a lot of money for me to enjoy L.A. I don't want to deal with the in-betweens of the entertainment industry in Los Angeles. It's excruciating enough to be between jobs. L.A. is really cool when you have something to do. I subletted there a few times, and you don't have anything going on and your friends are busy, it can get dark. And you're getting gaslit by the weather to be happy,' he said. 'Magic Farm' is now in theaters from MUBI. Best of IndieWire Quentin Tarantino's Favorite Movies: 64 Films the Director Wants You to See Nightmare Film Shoots: The 36 Most Grueling Films Ever Made, from 'Deliverance' to 'The Wages of Fear' The 24 Best Vampire Movies Ever Made, from 'Nosferatu' to 'Sinners'
Buzz Feed
11-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
"His Death Was Such A Freak Accident": 15 Actors Who Tragically Died At The Height Of Their Careers
A while ago, redditor @LeonardMoney2020 asked people to name an actor who unfortunately died way before their time. Here are just 15 acting legends gone too soon: 1. River Phoenix: "Watch Stand by Me. Based on the novella The Body by Stephen King. It's a unique movie and one of the greats. River Phoenix's character Chris Chambers is wonderful and has a particular moment that's one of the best examples of child acting I can think of." — FangPolygon "Saw My Own Private Idaho last night. He was robbed of an Oscar nomination." — Wise-News1666 "This one ought to be at the top of the list. For almost all my life, he's been THE example of actors who died far too young." — Ambaryerno 2. Anton Yelchin: "His passing hurt. He's in a movie called Like Crazy, and it's already an emotionally devastating movie. But seeing him in it, and seeing what I believe to just be his actual self...a gentle amplifies it ten-fold." — Fudge89 " Alpha Dog also. That was when I first realized what a great actor he was. Had me blubbering like a baby." — shwarma_heaven "He was excellent in Green Room, but that's definitely not for everyone due to the violence and gore. Great film, though." — cuddlemycat "His death was such a freak accident too. Makes it even more sad." — joeymac93 How he died: Anton Yelchin died at age 27 in 2016 after his car rolled backward and pinned him between the vehicle and his security gate, according to BBC. 3. John Candy: "I think he was on his way to being a possibly great actor as well, for all his comic genius. He was great in JFK. He may have gone on to more dramatic roles." — Rski765 "Still miss Uncle Buck." — KnotAwl "This is the best answer. He brought joy to the world and could tear your heart in two, too." — jpotrz 4. John Cazale, who starred in films like The Godfather and Dog Day Afternoon: "He was in five movies. All five were nominated for Best Picture. All five are considered classic films. Three of them won the Oscar for Best Picture. He played key roles in them all. Dude knocked it out of the park!" CBS Photo Archive / CBS via Getty Images — Maleficent_Curve_349 "The dude was definitely batting 1.000. He's much missed." — nonserviam1977 "Never heard this name before. Googled him and recognized him right away. The list of movies he was in is impressive, considering there's not a lot." — fishonthemoon 5. Heath Ledger: "His death was a huge loss to filmgoers everywhere. After his passing, I often wondered how his career would have continued over future decades." — TheeFearlessChicken "He was George Miller's original choice for Max in Fury Road. He was also looking to get into directing and was planning his first film, an adaptation of The Queen's Gambit, when he died. Apparently, he was really good at chess." — fallenarist0cra "Dude was in many big-name movies, but I still feel like he was just getting started. Love that dude." — Specialist-Sugar-657 "He had such great range and really took on a variety of roles. It would've been fascinating to see where his career led him over the years. I still can't believe he was only 27 when he played the Joker and 28 when he passed." — friends-waffles-work "It's crazy that he starred in Brokeback Mountain when he was like 26. That performance is something you'd expect from a 40-year-old veteran actor, not somebody who was just getting started." — orincoro 6. Chris Farley: "We never got to see him do the Robin Williams and Jim Carrey-turn to serious actor. You could see the same glimpses of great emotional depth in his silliest comedies. There was some truly moving stuff inside Tommy Boy, Black Sheep, and Beverly Hills Ninja …and his parts in Billy Madison and Dirty Work showed that he probably had the capability to play a wild person as well as the best of them, lol. I don't fawn over celebrities too much, but I truly miss what that man brought to my life." — SeymourKrelborn1111 "I recently watched Punch-Drunk Love, and it's our loss we didn't get something similar from Chris. Definitely had the potential to win an Oscar." — Sweaty_Flounder_3301 7. Philip Seymour Hoffman: "Oof, the range this guy had. I still yell, 'Make it rain!' when throwing up joke shots in basketball." — project__matt "He has a small role in Punch Drunk Love and kills it." — shust89 "It's been 10 years, and this one still seems unbelievable. A true actor." — Nettie_Moore "The fact that he could sell you on his version of a goofy side character in Along Came Polly and also nail Truman Capote was wild." — god_peepee 8. Bruce Lee: "Hard to put in words the impact Bruce Lee had on an entire genre of film. Not to mention popularizing martial arts globally. So ahead of his time in multiple ways. Absolute legend. Died at 32. Can only imagine the things he would've done given more time on this earth." 9. Brittany Murphy: "I love Luanne's character on King of the Hill. She really brought a lot of heart to the character." 10. Chadwick Boseman: "The man was an amazing actor and a beautiful human. He would go as Black Panther visiting kids with cancer all while he was privately fighting his own cancer. Definitely gone too soon." — maybeCheri "He was fantastic as James Brown." — Gonzostewie 11. Brandon Lee: "Just rewatched The Crow, and one thing that is massively evident was that, if he had not died, he would have become a mega-star." — Latrudos "Still makes me sad." — Deep_Space52 "This guy was on his way to greatness. He had it all. It's just unbelievable, really. I still can't get my head around it. A man in his prime in the film that was going to make him a star. Gone because of a stupid accident. Even younger than his dad." — Rski765 12. Marilyn Monroe: "I think she was great in Some Like It Hot. I would love to have seen her in more movies!" — JayTee245 "Yes, I think she was so talented as an actress. Her comedic timing was always perfect, and she was so characteristic. I also have seen her in a more serious film, and she was amazing in that too and had range. 💔" — FiannaNevra "This is a great example of iconic star power. I don't think she was given enough time to show her true talent." — Rski765 "She was really talented. In my opinion, her best was The Misfits, the last film she made before she passed. I wish we would've gotten to see more roles like that from her. She knocked it out of the park." 13. Heather O'Rourke: "She was in Happy Days and the Poltergeist series. Poor baby died of complications from septic shock due to a bowel obstruction when she was 12." 14. Adrienne Shelly: "She wrote, directed, and starred in the movie Waitress. She was in other movies as an actor as well, but I think there was a lot more meant to come from her." 15. Finally, Cameron Boyce: "He was a great actor and had a good show going with Jessie around the time of his passing." Kevin Mazur / WireImage — Do_The_Thing863 "My kids bawled for an hour when he died. They loved him on Jesse!" — TaxLawKingGA How he died: Cameron Boyce died at age 20 in 2019 from a seizure related to his epilepsy, according to ABC News.
