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<\/p>\nIf you grew up in the \u201980s, you know Chunk.
\nThe Hawaiian shirt.<\/p>\n
The legendary Truffle Shuffle.<\/p>\n
And loveable chaos machine who stole scenes in The Goonies without even trying.<\/p>\n
But what happened to the kid behind the icon \u2014Jeff Cohen \u2014 might be one of the most surprising Hollywood story of all.<\/p>\n
Behind-the-scenes
\nJeff Cohen\u2019s rise (and crash) from child stardom happened almost overnight.<\/p>\n
Born Jeffrey Bertan McMahon on June 25, 1974, in Los Angeles, he watched his family shift early in life. When he was around seven or eight, his parents separated, a moment that marked him deeply.<\/p>\n
Not long after, he chose a new identity for the screen, adopting \u201cCohen\u201d as his stage surname, a tribute to his mother Elaine\u2019s maiden name.<\/p>\n
Before his breakout role in The Goonies, Cohen was already popping up on television. In 1982\u201383, he appeared as one of the kids who helped explain clues to players on the CBS game show Child\u2019s Play.<\/p>\n
A few years later, in the summer of 1985, he returned to TV as a young celebrity guest on the game show Body Language.<\/p>\n
While filming the legendary The Goonies, Cohen cemented his place in pop-culture history with the unforgettable Truffle Shuffle, bringing infectious energy to the role of the lovable misfit, Chunk.
\nWith Richard Donner at the helm and Steven Spielberg producing, the adventure-comedy told the story of a ragtag bunch of kids embarking on a high-stakes quest for lost treasure in hopes of saving their neighborhood.<\/p>\n
A funny behind-the-scenes tidbit that many fans might have missed: Jeff Cohen was actually covered in chickenpox while filming Goonies. Worried he might get replaced, he kept it a secret and showed up on set anyway. According to the DVD commentary, sharp-eyed viewers can even spot the chickenpox on his chest during the iconic \u201cTruffle Shuffle\u201d scene.<\/p>\n
Director Richard Donner once said that Jeff\u2019s acting had a real, genuine quality \u2014 he was just himself on screen.<\/p>\n
This is how Cohen has described getting the role of Chunk:<\/p>\n
\u201cThere 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,\u201d he told the Daily Mail.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was survival of the fattest.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201dActing gave me up\u201d
\nAfter the success of The Goonies, Jeff Cohen would have loved to continue acting, but one thing stood in his way.<\/p>\n
\u201dWhen I hit puberty, it was a career-ender for me. I was transforming from Chunk to hunk, and I couldn\u2019t get roles anymore,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Then came the line that broke every Goonies fan a little:<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was terrible. My first love was acting, but puberty had other ideas. It was a forced retirement. I didn\u2019t give up acting. Acting gave me up.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
So Jeff stepped away from the industry entirely, throwing himself into school, sports, and trying to find an identity beyond Chunk.<\/p>\n
He joked later:<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m pretty good at exercising and watching my diet because I know I could slide back into Chunk. But I am very proud that I was a professional fat person. Anyone can be an amateur, but who can be a pro?\u201d<\/p>\n
At UC Berkeley, he joined the football team, got through brutal hazing (\u201cI was always knocked on my a**\u201d), and even became the school mic man, where thousands chanted for him to perform the Truffle Shuffle. He finally did it once, and the crowd went ballistic.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s no doubt that Jeff Cohen and The Goonies director Richard Donner formed a strong bond during filming. Jeff has since praised Donner for his ability to draw out genuine emotions and natural performances from the kids, helping make the film a timeless classic.<\/p>\n
But Donner\u2019s support didn\u2019t stop there. When Jeff asked him for a college recommendation, Donner not only wrote the letter, he was so moved by Jeff\u2019s personal struggles that he generously covered the cost of his entire college education. Donner then helped him land behind-the-scenes jobs at studios.<\/p>\n
Jeff recalls Donner booming at him:<\/p>\n
\u201cHey kid, what do you want to do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to be an actor.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s stupid. You\u2019re not going to be an actor. You\u2019ve got to know about the business.\u201d<\/p>\n
Donner wasn\u2019t being cruel \u2014 it was tough love. And it worked.<\/p>\n
Jeff earned a business degree at Berkeley, a law degree from UCLA, and entered the world of entertainment law.<\/p>\n
A poetic twist
\nBut the funny thing is that the former child star didn\u2019t just become a lawyer.
\nHe became one of the entertainment lawyers in Hollywood.<\/p>\n
\u201dI still wanted to contribute to entertainment because I always loved the entertainment industry,\u201d Cohen once told The Journal News.<\/p>\n
He co-founded Cohen & Gardner LLP, made Variety\u2019s Dealmakers List, and The Hollywood Reporter\u2019s Next Gen Executives.<\/p>\n
His office is a shrine of his past life: He has Steven Spielberg-signed E.T. poster: \u201cTo Jeff (Chunk) Cohen, you are my favorite Goonie\u201d and a Superman poster from Donner: \u201cMy man, with you anyone can fly.\u201d<\/p>\n
During an interview with Daily Mail, he laughed:<\/p>\n
\u201cMy clients get a kick out of the fact their lawyer is Chunk. They dig it.\u201d<\/p>\n
And in a poetic twist? He negotiated the deal for his Goonies brother Ke Huy Quan in Everything Everywhere All at Once, the role that won Quan the Oscar.<\/p>\n
Ke Huy Quan thanked him on stage: \u201cMy Goonies brother for life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Today, Jeff Cohen is 51 years old and he may no longer look like Chunk. He may never do the Truffle Shuffle without \u201cthree martinis\u201d and careful lighting.<\/p>\n
But he is proud, deeply proud, of where he\u2019s landed.<\/p>\n
\u201dI think it\u2019s crazy. I dig it and I\u2019m very proud of ten-year-old me and that he was able to make such an impact,\u201d Jeff shared.<\/p>\n
Unlike so many child stars, Jeff Cohen came out of Hollywood unscathed\u2014a rarity in the industry. Even at a young age, his natural comedic talent shone through, and today he channels that same wit as a successful Hollywood lawyer.<\/p>\n
While it\u2019s bittersweet that he stepped away from acting, staying connected to the industry in a new role was a smart move.<\/p>\n
Despite the challenges Hollywood threw his way during puberty, he\u2019s built an incredible life \u2014 helping talents like Ke Huy Quan secure major deals, remaining a genuinely great person, and leaving behind a timeless legacy with The Goonies. By any measure, that\u2019s what success looks like!<\/p>\n
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