Corey Feldman
On why his son won't eat meat or be a child actor.
by Sarah Hepola
August 10, 2007
You will see a lot of things in the new A&E show The Two Coreys (Sundays at 10 p.m.). You will see what happened to the '80s teen icons, what they do now and how they interact with fans (yes, they still have them). You will see Corey Feldman's pretty wife, Susie, and his comfy, spacious home in Los Angeles. What you won't see, however, is their three-year-old son, Zen.
By the time Corey Feldman was three years old, he was starring in commercials, and he went on to become one of the most successful child actors of the '80s, landing roles in such marshmallow classics as Goonies, The Lost Boys and License to Drive (the latter two with partner Corey Haim). With fame, of course, came failure, drugs and various other stripes of trouble. Babble spoke recently with Feldman and his wife about how they plan to spare their son from a similar fate. — Sarah Hepola
You were so famous as a teenager. Are people surprised to find out you have a son?
Corey: It's been public knowledge for some time. We just hope we can keep his anonymity throughout his school years. We have a middle name we plan on using when he gets to school. We've had offers from agents pretty much from the moment he was born, saying, 'He's so beautiful, let's get him out there.' We don't want to deal him an unfair hand in life by putting him out there so people know him before he even knows himself. That's what happens to child actors. Kids are put on pedestals and made to believe they're something they're not, and they wake up to find their life is this wasteland.
You were his age, three, when you started in commercials.
Corey: I was an outgoing kid. I had a wild imagination, and I would play I would have enjoyed having a regular childhood.these different characters. My parents felt it was a natural fit for me. However, if I had a part in the decision-making process, I would have enjoyed having a regular childhood. Being on a baseball team. Finishing my schooling, instead of people beating me up and being jealous of me, because children always had this different perception of me. To them, I was a lucky kid who got out of school all the time.
Explain to us the premise of The Two Coreys.
Corey: In a nutshell, it's the three of us in a nutshell. [laughs] My wife and I, we're living our life and doing our our day-to-day things, and Corey Haim comes to live with us, because he's coming into town for a Lost Boys premiere and doesn't have a place to stay, and then madness ensues. It's like You, Me and Dupree — what happens when a best friend comes to live with a married couple. It has a broad appeal, and everybody can relate to this story. Everybody has that friend who doesn't grow up, who's still carousing the clubs.
©2007 Sarah Hepola and Nerve Media
About the Author
|
|
Related Articles
|
|
Sarah Hepola has been a high-school teacher, a playwright, a film critic, a music editor and a travel columnist. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, The Guardian, and on NPR. She writes the Scanner blog for Nerve and lives in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. |
|
|
-
by Sarah Hepola
On why his son won't eat meat or be a child actor.
-
by Aaron Burgess
The rock icon and dad on his newest baby: Kidzapalooza.
-
by Justin Clark
"I don't have a mental manual of how I'm raising my kids."
|
