In some ways, it wasn’t even acting.
The four boys who starred in the blockbuster movie “Stand By Me” looked like they were kids who were lifelong friends that enjoyed spending time with each other.
Maybe they didn’t know each other their entire lives, but the youngsters certainly bonded when making the movie 40 years ago.
“Yeah, we really were (close), we did so much together when we weren’t working,” said WIl Wheaton, the main character of the movie based off a Stephen King story. “You put a bunch of kids on location together and give us per diem for arcades and fast food, we’re going to have a great time. That was really what happened. We very much came together as a group of friends.”
Corey Feldman (far left), Jerry O’Connell, River Phoenix and Wil Wheaton star as friends searching for a dead body in “Stand By Me.”
That’s why Wheaton, along with co-stars Corey Feldman and Jerry O’Connell, is looking forward to Dec. 5 as much as fanatics of the film.
That’s when the trio will reunite for a “Stand By Me” screening at Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank, with post-film conversation with the three.
It’s a chance to ask the boys, who are now grown men, anything they want about the film.
Was the train real?
What about the leeches?
Was Chopper really vicious?
These questions and so many more will be answered by Wheaton and company. It’s one of three stops on the tour, and something Wheaton, who has also starred in “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” “Toy Soldiers” and played himself in “Big Bang Theory,” is really looking forward to.
“Like any group of friends with kids, you don’t talk as much as you’d like, but 40 years later, the three of us who survived, we’re in contact with one another,” Wheaton said, acknowledging the death of the fourth star, River Phoenix. “We’re so excited to come together. We have been talking for a couple of months, getting to know each other better as adults. I cannot tell you how excited I am. Being on the road in a van with them, I cannot wait.”
The night should be a fun reunion for the three, but even better for fans who grew up watching the movie.
“Stand By Me” stars Corey Feldman, Jerry O’Connell and WIl Wheaton are coming to the Count Basie Center for the Arts on Dec. 5, to celebrate the movie’s 40th anniversary.
Actually, the movie transcends generations. It’s an all-time classic that people of all ages enjoy today.
What Wheaton finds so special is that it means something different to everyone.
“Everyone has their favorite part,” Wheaton said. “Making fun of Vern. Or when I say ‘I’ll only shoot Ace.’ Chris saying ‘I wish I could go some place where nobody knows me.’ Everyone loves the ‘Barfaroma.’
“So interesting to give a really thoughtful answer. Everyone has their own. Those are the ones that emerged over the years, but everyone takes it as a whole. I have people tell me they have a shorthand with their friends like we do with each other. The movie reminds them of it. I know women who still say ‘skin it’ with their girlfriends. They did it at the time and they still do it.”
Wheaton is still entertaining his fans after all these years, but he’s leading his voice to a new endeavor − a podcast.
Known for his speaking roles in movies, shows and audio books, his latest creation is “It’s Story Time With Wil Wheaton.” It not only allows him the chance to do what he loves, read, he uses it to give exposure to authors.
Described as “a weekly audiobook podcast, featuring stories that Wil loves, pulled from the pages of Uncanny, Lightspeed, On Spec, and others. You’re going to meet authors you don’t yet know you love, including some who are being narrated for the very first time. Listeners will travel through time, meet some gods, watch people fall in and out of love, and more, brought to life by (Wheaton’s) remarkable narrative voice.”
It’s truly a passion project.
“I reached out to LeVar Burton because I loved his podcast so much,” Wheaton said. “When he ended it, I said ‘I have this idea, am I stepping on your toes?’ He said you’re not stepping on my toes, you’re standing on my shoulders and I’m so honored to help you. He’s a mentor.
“I’m proud of the work we’re doing. It’s fun for me, new stories and characters every week. I’m so grateful for the opportunity. If it became the thing in my life, my primary job until I retire, I would not be happier. I want that more than anything.”
Wheaton, who has a wife and two sons, 34 and 36, continues making art that people enjoy. And on Dec. 5, he’ll tell the story of one of his earliest projects.
It’s a night he’s looking forward to.
“The movie means a lot to so many, and we just got lucky,” Wheaton said. “One of the reasons, it’s so relatable. It’s about growing up. It’s about our relationship. It’s about being a parent. It’s about being lost. The moments are so important until they are years behind you in the mirror.
“I’ve been talking about the movie for four decades, no matter where they are, no matter what their gender. They’ll say here’s how that moment was relevant specific to my life.
“I knew we were doing something good. I knew we were creating good art. But did I think this is going to be special? I had no freaking idea it was going to be this. I didn’t think I’d talk about it 40 years later. I knew ‘Star Trek’ was huge and global. I was very excited to be talking about that for the rest of my life. We were 12, but we didn’t understand this was going to be this special. It really was.”
Go: “Stand By Me”: The Film and Its Stars 40 Years Later, featuring Corey Feldman, Jerry O’Connell and Wil Wheaton; 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 5; Count Basie Center for the Arts, 99 Monmouth St., Red Bank. For tickets and more information, visit thebasie.org/events/stand-by-me.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Wil Wheaton, Stand By Me stars coming to Basie for screening, Q&A
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