Elijah Wood may be backtracking about his awareness of child abuse in Hollywood, but one former child star is taking another step forward. His own experiences don't just support claims that Hollywood has a major issue on its hands, they also offer a haunting and horrifying glimpse into the dangers facing young actors. Warning: Much of what he had to say is very upsetting.
The former child star in question is Corey Feldman, who starred in films including The Lost Boys, The Goonies, and Stand by Me. In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Feldman recounted being molested as a young star. Corey Haim, Feldman's frequent co-star and best friend, was also raped on a film set at age 11, Feldman said. He added that the experience contributed to Haim's drug and alcohol abuse, culminating in his death at age 38 in 2010.
"He [Haim] had more direct abuse than I did," Feldman shared. "With me, there were some molestations and it did come from several hands, so to speak, but with Corey, his was direct rape, whereas mine was not actual rape. And his also occurred when he was 11. My son is 11 now, and I can't even begin to fathom the idea of something like that happening to him. It would destroy his whole being.
"As I look at my son, a sweet, innocent, 11-year-old boy and then try to put him in Corey Haim's shoes, I go, 'Oh my God — well of course he was erratic and not well-behaved on sets and things like that.' What more could we expect of him really? Everybody deals with things differently."
Fear of being sued has prevented Feldman from naming names, though he says he'd "love to." He did, however, recount just how kids were manipulated into palling around with adults at sketchy parties.
"The [age] range was usually 10 to 16," he said. "The lure for kids is that they work in adult world. All of their friends become adults and they very rarely get to interact with other kids, especially because they don't go to school. So unless you happen to be on a movie like Goonies, where there are seven kids, for the most part you find yourself being the only kid on the set. You don't get that interaction, which you crave so badly. So when somebody approaches you and says, 'Hey, this is a Hollywood party where you get to hang out with the powerful people in Hollywood,' well that sounds like a great opportunity."
Read Feldman's full interview over on The Hollwood Reporter.
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