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Wil Wheaton and Jerry O’Connell recently got real on The Talk and shares a special moment and apology. They were both kids when it happened, the former was 14 and the latter was just 11.
The longtime friends, who co-starred in the coming-of-age classic “Stand by Me” in 1986, shared a tender moment on the latest episode of The Talk which Jerry Co-hosted, on Thursday 14th April; with Jerry apologizing for being ignorant of what Wheaton went through, growing up. In Jerry’s defense, he was younger but, he didn’t want to use it as an excuse.
Jerry said “I heard before you talk about some of the struggles you were going through during Stand by Me, and you know, while I was 11 at the time, that’s an excuse; I do want to apologize for not being there more for you when you were younger,” O’Connell said. “But I want to say, to the bigger picture, you never know what someone is going through when you’re with them. I don’t feel guilt, but I just want to say I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you more.”
To Jerry’s apology, Wheaton replied “I deeply appreciate that, you were 11. How could you have possibly known? Also, everyone in the audience who is a trauma survivor knows this: We’re real, real, real good at covering up what we’re going through.”
Wil Wheaton – Why Was Jerry O’Connell Apologizing To Wil Wheaton?
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Wheaton was 14 when he starred opposite O’Connell, River Phoenix, and Corey Feldman in the coming-of-age classic. Back in May, ahead of the film’s 35th anniversary, Wheaton spoke openly about the abuse he endured — mostly in silence — from his parents during his childhood. In an interview with Yahoo Entertainment, he said he suffered “a combination of an incredible emotional abuse from my father and a lot of manipulation, using me, from my mother.”
After Wheaton’s revelations, his friend Jerry O’Connell expressed his support and sympathy for his former costar on The Talk. “I had no idea he was feeling this when we were doing this film,” O’Connell said, adding, “I wish I was older back then so I could have said, ‘Hey Wil, hey man, is anything wrong?'”
Will Wheaton’s – Trauma Inspired His Performance In “Stand By Me”
Wheaton in an interview, told Yahoo “I didn’t want to be an actor when I was a kid. My parents forced me to do it. My mother coached me to go into her agency and tell the children’s agent, ‘I want to do what mommy does.'”
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Wheaton also revealed that his inner turmoil during filming helped inform his performance. “Gordie’s experience very much reflected my experience. We’re both invisible in our homes,” he explained, adding that rewatching the film takes him back to his complicated childhood. “When I watch Stand by Me now, I cannot ignore the unbelievable sadness in my eyes,” he said. “And I cannot ignore the reality that it was that sadness, that isolation, that I think gave me what Gordie needed to come to life.”
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