His signature dance move as Chunk in The Goonies is still one of the most recognisable GIFs in 2022. However, 1980s child actor Jeff Cohen swapped the truffle he used to shuffle a long time ago and now cuts a much slender physique.
It was this adolescent transformation which cancelled his acting career. “There were basically about four fat kids in town, so every time there was a fat kid role you saw the same people at the audition,” explained Cohen.
“It was survival of the fattest. But when I hit puberty, it was a career-ender for me. I was transforming from Chunk to hunk and I couldn’t get roles any more.”
It was a rocky road for Cohen. But Goonies never say die and he decided to take a different career path instead. Cohen rose to fame in Richard Donner’s family movie which first hit cinema screens in 1985.
He reportedly had chickenpox when filming started but turned up anyway - afraid of losing the part. The classic adventure sees Chunk and his pals head off through underground tunnels and sewers to find the treasure of One-Eyed Willy.
Chunk is kidnapped by baddies the Fratellis but manages to escape their clutches with the help of the deformed Superman Sloth. The pair are the de facto heroes of the story and arguably the film’s most memorable characters, according to Mirror Online.
After The Goonies, Cohen racked up a few more acting credits including his part in 1987 TV short Popeye and Son, and voicing Grunt in the movie Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School. His last acting part came in 1991, when he voiced Ward in the TV Movie Perfect Harmony.
But after losing his puppy fat in puberty, no one wanted to hire him. Now aged 48, Cohen is a partner at the Beverly Hills law firm Cohen Gardner LLP.
He’s still linked to the entertainment world - his firm’s work has included negotiating for artists in Black Panther and Crazy Rich Asians as well as the 2017 horror flick Get Out. And according to Goonies director Donner, he hasn’t changed.
Donner told Variety: “His acting had an incredible sense of genuineness, of reality. He was Jeff — he drew from himself, and I think that’s who he is now.
“He’s honest and straight. I think that was in his acting and now in his law practice.”
Many of his famous clients love to bring up his Goonies past. “My clients get a kick out of the fact their lawyer is Chunk. They dig it,” Cohen said.
“With my job, I’m dealing with legitimately famous people, so it’s just silly and fun. I’m usually only the fifth most famous person in the room at any one time.”
Cohen has also penned the book The Dealmaker’s Ten Commandments and regularly writes about business, legal and political matters for The Huffington Post.
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