Sunday marks the 30th anniversary of the British release of the cult adventure flick The Goonies. Unleashing a wealth of cultural references – from the truffle shuffle to “HEY YOU GUYS” – the film stars a bunch of Oregon pre-teens who stumble on a treasure map belonging to a 17th century pirate, which they set off in pursuit of and… well, that’d be spoiling it for you, wouldn’t it? But where are the actors who played the band of treasure-seekers now? As you’ll soon find out, a lot can change in 30 years…
Mikey – Sean Astin
Mikey – Sean Astin
The Goonies was Astin’s first – but certainly not his last – big-screen appearance. He’s since lent his voice to roles in Toy Soldiers and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles TV series, but his biggest role to date was as Frodo’s accomplice Samwise Gamgee in the Lord of The Rings trilogy. “Mr Frodo? Mr Frodo? MR FRODO?”
Mouth – Corey Feldman
Mouth – Corey Feldman
Feldman peaked too early, starring in the likes of Stand By Me and The Lost Boys. But, like many a child star, his career went off the rails: his post-fame activities have included getting married on reality show The Surreal Life, charging $250 entry to his seedy birthday parties, and publishing a memoir called Coreyography.
Chunk – Jeff Cohen
Chunk – Jeff Cohen
Perhaps the trauma of playing the much-maligned Chunk put Cohen off acting for good – after The Goonies, he barely starred in anything else worth mentioning here. He’s since forged a career in law, operating a firm in LA and occasionally writing for The Huffington Post.
Andy – Kerri Green
Andy – Kerri Green
Unfortunately a role in The Goonies didn’t propel Green to stardom either, subsequently appearing in a small number of insignificant films – although there was the Charlie Sheen-starring Three For The Road, which was an absolute dud. Aside from founding a movie production company, Green has pretty much disappeared off the radar.
Stef – Martha Plimpton
Stef – Martha Plimpton
Plimpton has actually done rather well since playing the nerdy Stef in the Richard Donner-directed film: aside from sustained success on Broadway (where she’s been thrice-nominated for Tony Awards), she’s probably most-recognisable now from her recent role as Virginia Chance on the US comedy Raising Hope.
Data – Jonathan Ke Quan
Data – Jonathan Ke Quan
The Vietnamese-born actor had already starred as Indiana Jones’ highly-annoying sidekick, Short Round, prior to The Goonies. But after that? Er, not much: after a stint studying at the University of Manchester, he most notably worked as a stunt choreographer for the first X-Men film in 2000.
Brand – Josh Brolin
Brand – Josh Brolin
The cocky, handsome leader of the gang has done alright IRL since 1985: Brolin has become an established Hollywood name, starring in the likes of No Country For Old Men, W., and Milk, for which he received Academy Award and SAG Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor. Not bad, then.
Sloth – John Matuszak
Sloth – John Matuszak
Sloth is a much-loved part of The Goonies – but was former NFL player John Matuszak similarly loved by his industry? Well, he was certainly typecast, generally playing football players or gentle giants in the likes of Miami Vice, Cheers and M*A*S*H. He died of a drug overdose in 1989.
A map to a strong and promising future, then, boys? Er, maybe not. But at least The Goonies still lives on to this day.
