‘Goonies’ never say die
Actors talk about life on the set of 1985 classic
Apparently, somewhere out there is a “big” idea for a “Goonies” sequel.
It was conjured up by two of the stars of the 1985 original film, Sean Astin and Corey Feldman.
Although they did not reveal what year this all happened, the two actors said they even pitched it to original director Richard Donner and writer Chris Columbus’ assistant.
“We sat down with them and
. . . It didn’t happen,” Feldman said, who was joined by Astin and fellow “Goonies” co-star Ke Huy Quan at the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo. “But it was really good idea. And maybe they’ll come back to us . . .
“We were ready, we had worked together on it a bunch,” adds Astin. “There was a whole group of people that (Donner) brought in. He’s listening and we’re telling the story and we’re handing off back and forth, different elements of the story. And he’s listening to it, deep in thought, really visualizing what we’re talking about. And when we’re done with it, the room got quiet, and I remember Corey and I were both quiet at the same time. He looks up and he goes: ‘You guys put a lot of thought into that didn’t you?’ We said ‘Yeah!’ He said ‘Yeah, we’re not doing that.’ ”
So, it was a bit of tease, perhaps. Nevertheless, devotees of Donner’s Steven Spielbergproduced adventure film, which dealt with a group of workingclass preteens seeking a pirate’s treasure to save their neighbourhood from a golf-course development, received some insight into what life was like on the set 34 years ago. Feldman was already a veteran actor at the time. It was Quan’s second feature after 1984’s “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”, and Astin’s first feature film. In the days before widespread computer-generated special effects, it wasn’t hard for 12-year-old kids to convey a sense of wonder on the massive sets.
“Everything you see in the movie was built,” says Quan. “The pirate ship, the water slides, the organ (made of bones). It was just amazing. As a kid, you walk onto the set with six other kids and it doesn’t take much imagination. Because everything is there. Now, they would only build a portion of the set and everything else would be green-screened.”
The conversation did hit a rocky patch, when an audience member alluded to Feldman’s ongoing campaign to expose the Hollywood power brokers who sexually abused him and other young actors, and asked Quan and Astin if they had similar experiences.
The conversation was quickly shot down. Astin, who said he did not experience any abuse, said the topic shouldn’t be taboo but chastised the audience member for asking the question the way he did.
“To look at somebody and say did you have any experience with child molestation when you were young in front of a bunch of other people, it’s not just inconsiderate it’s an unenlightened way of going about finding the information you want,” he said.
For the most part, though, the tone was light, with the actors suggesting that their rambunctious behaviour on set would try the patience of Donner, the now89-year-old veteran director.
“We wouldn’t shut up,” Quan said. “We were constantly talking overtop of each other and messing up.”
“Richard Donner never wanted to see another child after he finished that movie,” Feldman added.