Stand By Me's Gordie unrecognisable almost 40 years after film launched career
Stand By Me remains one of the most loved films out of an immense 80s selection.
And while it still holds up as a must-see movie, it's obvious the stars of the show have changed considerably.
It was a coming-of-age drama that launched a number of careers thanks to fantastic performances from the young cast.
One in particular is Wil Wheaton, whose success continued to rise with a wide range of iconic TV shows and films to follow.
And now, as the actor prepares to turn 50 next month, he is almost unrecognisable from the fresh faced young star that burst onto the scene with an impressive performance as Gordie Lachance.
Big Bang Theory's Mayim Bialik slammed by Jeopardy fans in first clip of hosting
Known as 'the voice' of the film, Wil played the younger version of the character whose later years were portrayed by Richard Dreyfuss.
River Phoenix and Wil Wheaton in Stand By Me (Columbia Tristar Films)So impressive were Wil's skills, he went on to land the role of Wesley Crusher in Stark Trek: The Next Generation.
Other gigs saw Wil take on voiceover work before appearing on the celebrity version of The Weakest Link in 2001. He also featured on Numb3rs and Criminal Minds as his primetime career continued adding big names to an already impress career.
But it was a role on the record-breaking sitcom The Big Bang Theory that he is perhaps best known for nowadays.
He played himself on the hugely successful series, which followed a group of misfit intellectuals.
Despite the heights he reached, he previously opened up on a traumatic period in his life which led him to have suicidal thoughts.
Wil Wheaton as Wesley Crusher in Star Trek
He admitted that a career in acting wasn't his initial goal and instead was something that was "forced on him".
"I have these very clear memories of saying over and over, 'I don't want to do this. I just want to be a kid. Let me be a kid,'" he told Access last year.
He went on to say that he "learned, as a child" that if he wanted to get the "attention and approval from my parents" that all kids "deserve unconditionally," then he must do "what Mom wants."
But he admits he enjoyed his time on The Big Bang Theory, in which he featured on 17 episodes.
Kaley Cuoco shows her growing baby bump in holiday snaps with beau Tom Pelphrey
Speaking about his stand out moments, he described how season 3, episode 19 - titled The Wheaton Recurrence - saw him play an evil version of himself.
Wil Wheaton on Star Trek Day in 2022 (Getty Images)He took on the role of the captain of an opposing bowling team and he had to exploit the tension between Penny and Leonard.
He revealed he enjoyed filming the scenes, even though he made a bad miscalculation prior to the shoot.
Speaking to The Express he said he chose a ball which was too heavy for him but was stuck with it all day - 13 hours to be precise - to ensure continuity on screen.
But he explained it was a fun day to film and moments such as when Wil tells Sheldon to "embrace the dark side", with Sheldon yelling back that "That's not even your franchise!" live long in the memories of the show's biggest fans.
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
