'The Goonies' Cast Then and Now: Catch Up With the Stars of This 80s Cult Classic
In this classic adventure-comedy film directed by Richard Donner in 1985, the story revolves around a group of kids, self-named "The Goonies," who live in the "Goon Docks" neighborhood of Astoria, Oregon. The movie was scripted by Chris Columbus, based on a story by executive producer Steven Spielberg. The plot centers on this group of kids as they embark on a quest to discover the treasure of the legendary pirate, One-Eyed Willy, to save their homes from being demolished by a property developer. A treasure map is discovered in the attic of the lead character, Mikey Walsh, that allegedly leads to the fortune of a legendary pirate. An adventure ensues, full of secret clues, fabled treasure, deadly booby traps and pirate booty. And if that wasn't enough, the criminal Fratelli family is hot on their trail to find the treasure themselves. So what is this ragtag group from the "Goon Docks" up to? Take a look at the The Goonies cast then and now.
Goonie: Josh Brolin as Brandon “Brand” Walsh
The high school athlete and Mikey’s older brother helped lead the The Goonies cast and was played by now 55-year-old actor Josh Brolin. The son of actor James Brolin, he showed his skills as a future leading man with his performance as big brother and protector to Mikey. Roles weren’t plentiful after Goonies, so Brolin dipped into day trading to supplement his income. Later came No Country For Old Men, W. and Milk, all between 2007 and 2008. Inherent Vice and Sicario had Brolin as the star of these feature films, but his intimidating glower left him best suited for villainous roles in comic book inspired blockbusters such as Avengers: Infinity War (2017), Deadpool 2 (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019) — not that Brolin has minded being the bad guy.
Goonie: Sean Astin as Michael “Mikey” Walsh
Another offspring of Hollywood royalty, Sean Astin’s mom was actress Patty Duke, but he himself has his own impressive resume. After his debut in The Goonies, he went on to star in Toy Soldiers (1991) and Rudy (1993), before finding his niche in the Lord of the Rings trilogy in the early 2000s. After Rings, Astin continued to work in film and television such as Monk, Law & Order, and he even directed a 2003 episode of the TV series Angel. He expanded his career by doing voice-over roles that included five seasons of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as Raphael. A much more mature Astin can be seen in the ever popular Stranger Things.
Aside from the bright lights, Astin is a marathon runner, completing The Dopey Challenge at Walt Disney World Resort which involves running a 5k, 10k, half marathon and full marathon in 4 consecutive days.
According to Sean Astin, he was allowed to keep the famed treasure map used in The Goonies. Several years later, his mother, Patty Duke, discovered it, thought it was just a crinkled piece of paper and threw it in the trash. Ouch!
Goonie: Jeff Cohen as Lawrence “Chunk” Cohen
"Chunk" was the clumsy, greedy member of The Goonies cast and a consistent storyteller. Born in Santa Monica, California, Jeff Cohen flirted with acting and was seen on the 1982 game show Child’s Play and 1986’s Body Language, but it was The Goonies that was his claim to fame. He actually got the chicken pox after he got the role of Chunk, but he showed up to the set anyway, afraid that they would have replaced him otherwise.
Cohen had asked The Goonies director Richard Donner for a recommendation for his college admissions application and was so impressed by his writing that Donner and his wife offered to pay for Cohen’s education. He later earned a Juris Doctorate from the UCLA School of Law. He negotiated the deal of his Goonies co-star Ke Huy Quan for his casting in Everything Everywhere All At Once.
Goonie: Ke Huy Quan as Richard “Data” Wang
One of the most beloved members of the The Goonies cast, Richard “Data” Wang was the James Bond fanatic and amateur inventor of the The Goonies crew. Anyone who had watched Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) knew of Ke Huy Quan as Harrison Ford’s sidekick Short Round before he became Data in The Goonies. After Head of the Class and Encino Man, the actor disappeared from the bright lights, stating he found it difficult to find acting work, but worked behind the scenes on various productions as a stunt choreographer. He returned to acting after the success of Crazy Rich Asians in 2018. Then came Everything Everywhere All at Once, for which he brought home an Oscar, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award. He has joined the cast of Loki for Disney+, set to premiere this year.
When rocks are falling from the cave ceiling in The Goonies, Ke Huy Quan screams “Holy S-H-I-T!" He said he spelled the expletive because his mother made him promise not to use any bad language in the film.
Goonie: Kerri Green as Andrea Theresa “Andy” Carmichael
Kerri Green did a string of young teen films in the 1980s, but her big break came in The Goonies. She later received critical acclaim for her role in Lucas (1986) and later acted in Three for the Road (1987) with Charlie Sheen. She went on to some episodic TV, such as Murder She Wrote and Mad About You while attending Vassar College. She eventually co-founded her own film production company, Independent Women Artists. In 2017, she appeared with Sean Astin at the New Jersey Horror Con and Film Festival.
Goonie: Martha Plimpton as Stephanie “Stef” Steinbrenner
Plimpton was already a successful model and actress by the time she entered the Goon Docks. With a Hollywood pedigree — her father is Keith Carradine and grandfather was actor John Carradine — she quickly drew attention due to her big screen role in The Goonies and in the sitcom Family Ties in the same year. With these two roles, Plimpton began being cast as a rebellious tomboy as seen in The Mosquito Coast (1986) and Running on Empty (1988). Easily transitioning to the small screen, Plimpton starred in Raising Hope, The Real O’Neals and in 2012, received an Emmy win for The Good Wife. In between, she took Broadway by storm in Pal Joey and Top Girls. Plimpton is set to star in the HBO miniseries, The Regime.
Goonie: Corey Feldman as Clark “Mouth” Devereaux
Corey Feldman was already an established child star before The Goonies. His wisecracking characters in Stand By Me (1986), The Lost Boys (1987) and License To Drive (1988) cemented his lock on young characters. Feldman became known as a teen idol in the 1980s. He was known for being one of the most popular teen pin-ups in the world. The Lost Boys marked the first onscreen pairing of Feldman and Corey Haim, who became known as "The Two Coreys."
The pair went on to star in several films, but drug use and a turbulent transition from child star to adult actor proved challenging. He eventually went the reality show route with The Surreal Life in 2003 and four years later, teamed up again with Haim for The Two Coreys. It was after Haim’s death in 2010 when Feldman highlighted what he claimed was Hollywood’s child abuse with his 2013 memoir Coreyography and his 2020 documentary My Truth: The Rape of 2 Coreys. Along the way, Feldman created the musical group, Corey’s Angels, which has had moderate success.
For more 80s nostalgia:
‘The Outsiders’ Cast Then and Now: See Where the Stars of the ’80s Classic Are Today
‘Silver Spoons’ Cast Then and Now: Catch Up With the Stars of the Beloved Sitcom
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