It's been more than 35 years since The Goonies was released in theaters, captivating children of the '80s (and their parents, too) with its pirate-themed adventure. The movie has become a cult classic, and its child and teen stars have since grown up and made careers for themselves. Some of them stuck with acting and are still recognizable names today, like Sean Astin and Josh Brolin, but some of the stars went down a different path. Jeff Cohen, who played Chunk in The Goonies, stopped acting after his younger days, but he still found success within the entertainment industry.
Read on to see what became of Lawrence "Chunk" Cohen. And for more on the biggest names of the '80s, check out The Biggest '80s Teen Idols, Then and Now.
He kept acting for about five years after The Goonies.
Warner Bros. PicturesCohen was only 11 when The Goonies came out, but he had racked up quite a few credits before that. He'd appeared on episodes of popular shows like Webster, The Facts of Life, and Family Ties. After The Goonies was released in 1985, he continued to act on TV and in film, with his last role being the TV movie Perfect Harmony in 1991.
For more on child stars of that era, check out The Biggest '90s Child Actors, Then and Now.
He stopped get cast in roles when puberty hit.
s_bukley / Shutterstock.comDuring an interview with The Guardian's podcast Progress Personified in 2016, Cohen explained that as he got older, he stopped getting cast.
"Puberty is the ultimate nemesis of child actors, and puberty kicked me in the gut. I was this cute little kid, and then I looked different," he said. "Some actors can make it through that transition. I couldn't."
Cohen said that he became depressed during that time, but going to public high school and connecting with teens who weren't in show business and had their own struggles put things in perspective.
Another turning point was when Cohen got a gig from Goonies director Richard Donner as a production assistant during his summer breaks. On the podcast, Cohen explained how important Donner's support was as he felt he went from "being very loved to being very ignored."
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Cohen is now an entertainment lawyer.
Michael Buckner/Getty Images for Entertainment WeeklyAfter high school, Cohen attended the University of California, Berkeley for undergrad and UCLA for law school. In 2002, he started his own law firm, Cohen Gardner LLC, as an entertainment lawyer. Things were rough at the start—"The Goonies money doesn't allow you to quit your day job," he said on Progress Personified—but he was able to find success.
In addition to practicing law, the 46-year-old has written for a number of publications and published a book in 2015 titled The Dealmaker's Ten Commandments: Ten Essential Tools for Business Forged in the Trenches of Hollywood.
Cohen's bio on his law firm's website gives a mention of his child acting days. "Jeff has a unique background growing up as a child actor in the entertainment industry," it reads. "His most notable role was playing 'Chunk' in the cult Richard Donner/Steven Spielberg film The Goonies. He asks that you don't hold that against him."
Check in with another child star, and See the Actor Who Played Cindy Lou Who in "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" Now.
He still loves The Goonies.
In addition to his law firm bio mentioning the film, Cohen often posts about The Goonies on social media, whether it's memes related to the movie or random Goonies products that he's spotted. When he voted, he even posted a picture of a Chunk doll "voting." He also sometimes shares old photos from his time as a child star.
In 2020, Cohen participated in not one, but two virtual reunions with his Goonies co-stars. The first one, in August, was hosted by actor Josh Gad, and then there was one in December that raised over $100,000 for the charity No Kid Hungry.
When asked why he thinks the movie is so beloved years later in a 2010 interview with The Pop Break, Cohen said he chocks that up to Donner's vision, noting "his overarching ideas as a director is that characters behave as real people in fantastical situations." Cohen continued: "We were kids acting like kids. The film is '80s, it’s a bit dated, but the way we behave stands out because that’s how kids behave—they yell, they talk over each other, they fight. There's something eternal about that."
For some more celebs who navigated child stardom, find out How Mary-Kate & Ashley Stopped Elizabeth Olsen From Being a Child Star.
