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‘The Goonies’ star Jeff Cohen Reveals Why Hollywood Dumped Him

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Updated on July 6, 2023

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Kids who grew up in and around the 1980s remember The Goonies fondly. It’s well-deserved of its cult status, thanks to its quirky characters, action-packed narrative, and superb directing by Richard Donner. While several of the film’s performers went on to have successful adult careers (Josh Brolin comes to mind), one of the main characters in The Goonies, Jeff Cohen, faded from the spotlight not long after the film’s release. The reason why this is terrible, but although Cohen never made it as a movie star, what he’s doing today isn’t bad either.

In the 1980s, a number of younger actors and actresses were able to carve out a niche for themselves on television and the big screen. Jeff Cohen landed a series of jobs that brought him public exposure, the most notable of which was as Chunk in The Goonies.

Cohen was putting together material for the small screen prior to the premiere of The Goonies in 1985. Cohen had guest appearances on episodes including Tales from the Darkside, Webster, Kids Incorporated, and Family Ties before earning the part of Chunk. Despite the fact that these appearances were not in important parts, the young actor gained valuable experience.

Cohen made a name for himself as Chunk in the 1985 film The Goonies. That picture has endured for than 35 years, and Chunk is still as famous and beloved as ever. Despite the fact that film stars young performers, The Goonies has become a classic since its premiere. The young actors in the film were able to provide fantastic performances that have stood the test of time.

The Goonies, after whom the film is called, are a group of Astoria, Oregon-based buddies. Among them is the chubby klutz known as Lawrence “Chunk” Cohen, played by actor Jeff Cohen. Despite being the brunt of the group’s jokes and usually being underestimated, Chunk saves the day near the conclusion of the movie thanks to his friendship with the villains’ neglected son, Sloth. Despite this, he is most known for the sequence in which he does the “Truffle Shuffle” early in the film.

The 47-year-old says he quit acting because he “lost his chubby kid essence” and no one would employ him.

“There were basically about four fat kids in town,” he told MailOnline, “so every time there was a fat kid role you saw the same people at the audition.”

“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 anymore.”

Jeff continued: ‘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 would go on to star in films such as Ask Max, The Wonderful World of Disney, She’s The Sheriff, and Perfect Harmony, according to IMDb, although none of these roles lasted beyond 1991. Cohen eventually retired from acting, although he would return to the industry years later to work in a new capacity.

Jeff now operates his own legal company and is also a well-known writer, having written pieces for numerous major journals and released a book about business in Hollywood.