Chunk from ‘The Goonies’ Looks ‘Handsome’ with Sculpted Arms & Has a Bigger Family — Inside the Cast’s Lives Now

It has been 38 years since the magical story about 5 little friends, "The Goonies," won the hearts of millions of fans, and the actors and the characters they portrayed became real-life favorites. Now between 48 to 56 years old, their lives have changed, and they look different too. Jeff Cohen is now a handsome man and looks fit, with a bigger family.

"The Goonies" is a 1985 adventure film about a young group of friends facing their last days together before a new development takes over their homes. They go on a dangerous adventure and beat the odds.

Jeff Cohen (Chunk) was one of the characters in the movie, starring alongside Sean Astin, who played Mikey. Mikey and his pals had always wanted to go on an adventure. Mikey was also curious if One-Eyed Willy was a real human being.

When he and his friends were in the attic of his home one evening, they discovered an old map, setting them off on an adventure involving a treasure hunt.

The journey takes them through the evil Mama Fratelli's restaurant in order to get to a secret passage (with multiple traps) to the caves. However, she caught Chunk in the process, and he met one of her sons, Sloth (who had a messed-up face), and befriended him.

It turns out Mama Fratelli and her sons were also on a treasure hunt, and it becomes a race against time between the boys and the Fratellis, with Chunk stuck in their basement.

Chunk is considered one of the most emotional characters in the film, as he even becomes friends with the enemy's son. Moreover, his signature dance in the movie, the "Truffle Shuffle," is still regarded as one of the most recognizable GIFs today.

Director Richard Donner spoke highly of Cohen's talent: "His acting had an incredible sense of genuineness, of reality."

Cohen also talked about his experience as a child star. The California native revealed during his appearance on the now-defunct chat show, "Wogan," that when he auditioned for the role, he had been discovered by Steven Spielberg.

He was quite anxious to meet him because of his stature in the film industry and thought he would ruin his chances of getting the gig because of anxiety.

However, Cohen's mother shared a few words to make him feel at ease about the experience. "She went, 'Jeff, he's just another Jewish boy,'" he explained.

When asked during the interview what he did during the auditions, the youngster revealed he enacted a scene with his co-star-to-be, Josh Brolin, who played Brand Walsh.

Asked whether his stardom had gone to his head, Cohen joked that a bird had gone to his head instead since he was wearing a bird hat then. The witty child star made the host, Terry Wogan, and the audience chuckle numerous times during the interview.

After the tape resurfaced on Facebook, fans commented on how adorable Cohen was. "Everything I believed as a kid, 'chunky' would be in real life. Funny and charismatic," wrote one social media user.

Another person agreed, stating: "Very charismatic and wonderful kid. [..] Such a funny chap." While another individual expressed the same sentiments, writing, "This had to be the most charismatic kid EVER."

From "Chunk to Hunk" - The Child Star’s Life after ”The Goonies”

Cohen's physical appearance played a huge role in portraying Chunk in "The Goonies," as he was a chubby kid. However, his career dwindled once he shed the weight going into adolescence.

The "Perfect Harmony" star explained in a July 2022 interview that back then, there were only a handful of fat children in his town.

Whenever producers needed kids who were fat, they would choose the same people over and over, and he was one of them, Cohen revealed, adding:

"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 anymore."

Cohen has evidently switched up his heavier self for a much slim physique. In September 2022, he was spotted in Los Angeles showing off his sculpted arms while carrying a tote bag and some boxes.

The former actor appeared deep in thought as he walked across a stone pathway while holding his car keys. He wore a red T-shirt paired with black pants. Fans took notice of his significant transformation from the once overweight young star to a good-looking individual.

In July 2018, Cohen attended "The Roast of Bruce Willis" and struck a pose at the red carpet event, donning a black suit with a matching hat. One Facebook user commented, "Looking very dapper!"

A couple of years later in October 2020, Cohen shared another photo of himself on Instagram while posing on a baseball field, widely smiling. Some followers swooned over him, with one person writing, "So handsome," alongside a heart eyes emoji.

"Handsome," another user agreed. A third person said Cohen looks attractive, "Looking good!" while one said, "Alright! We're wearing Chunk's Hawaiian shirt, Goonies never say die!"

Cohen had the opportunity to meet some of his diehard fans back in 2005 at the house where "The Goonies" was filmed. Two of them had flown in from England and Australia just to come and see him.

Judging by the YouTube video, Cohen was friendly toward the fans, one of whom was named Jeff too. Upon seeing the clip, his other fans deemed him friendly based on how he interacted with them. He showed interest in having conversations with them and even asked follow-up questions.

"Seems like a cool guy," said one person. Another mentioned that celebrities rarely interact with fans at that level, writing, "What a guy, he is a cool man. Not often you see someone who does not mind talking to the fans."

A third YouTube user echoed the same sentiments and wrote, "That was so sweet of him to sign an autograph for his fans. Goonies rock!!" While another person stated, "Coolest Goonie Ever."

Cohen has also taken over the ladies with his good looks. In September 2015, he attended the Variety & Women in Film pre-2015 Emmys party in Los Angeles and appeared to have a good time among the women.

The "Ask Max" star was photographed laughing and drinking at the bash, attended by several TV actresses, including Lana Parrilla and Jessica Szohr. Despite mingling with fellow Hollywood stars, Cohen has put his acting skills to a rest.

He stopped acting in the early '90s and forged a different career path afterward. Following his weight loss as a teenager, acting gigs also became scarce for him.

Now aged 48, he is an attorney and a partner at the Beverly Hills law firm Cohen Gardner LLP. Although he no longer appears on the big screen, he remains tied to the show business industry. Cohen's firm's work profile includes negotiating for stars who appeared in films such as "Get Out," "Crazy Rich Asians" and "Blank Panther."

Cohen revealed many of his clients love bragging about him representing them by bringing up his "Goonies" past, adding they are always amused by the fact that their attorney is a character in the film.

As a lawyer, Cohen works for well-known public figures from the entertainment industry, which he enjoys, noting he is usually the less famous person in the room.

Besides practicing law, he is also a writer. He has authored a book called "The Dealmaker's Ten Commandments," and often contributes to different niches, including business, legal, and political pieces for The Huffington Post.

Pursuing another career was not a first choice for Cohen, who claimed he was forced to leave the acting scene because he could no longer fit the profile. Ahead of the 30th anniversary of "The Goonies" in June 2015, he admitted that he loved his craft and was devastated when it all came to an end:

"It was terrible. My first love was acting but puberty had other ideas. It was a forced retirement. I didn't give up acting. Acting gave me up."

When discussing the film's success, he said, "It's one of the three classics of American cinema. You know, there's "Citizen Kane," "Casablanca," and "The Goonies."

Today, Cohen enjoys the company of his big family that he often shows off on social media. In February 2023, he posted a group photo of him and his loved ones at Disneyland and revealed they were there to celebrate his nieces for getting good grades.

Cohen and his family were at Disneyland again in April 2019 to celebrate his niece Violet's "Bat Mitzvah." On Instagram, he shared a collage of the family's outing from that day.

In July of that year, he commemorated his mom's birthday online by posting a photo of him and his family members posing alongside the family matriarch holding her cake.

The Cohens celebrated their mom's birthday again in 2021, and this time, they marked the milestone at a restaurant as they gathered around the table to take a picture with everyone beaming.

Cohen seems to be fond of his nieces, too, as he marked another birthday milestone for one of his nieces in September 2017, which happened to be the same day as Labor Day.

In July 2022, one of his nieces went off to college, and he posted a photo embracing her while posing in front of a "Bear Adjacent Mascot," he wrote. His other niece, Violet, graduated from elementary school in June 2017.

What Happened to the Six Other Actors?

Cohen is one of seven young stars who graced "The Goonies." One of them was Sean Astin who was only 14 when he portrayed Mikey in the film, playing the group leader.

After "The Goonies," he starred in the blockbuster "Lord Of The Rings" trilogy, appeared in the last season of "The Big Bang Theory" in 2019, and played Bob Newby in the hit show, "Stranger Things."

In 1992, Astin married his wife Christine Harrell, and the couple welcomed three children together. Astin is the son of Hollywood stars Patty Duke and John Astin. However, at age 14, he learned John was not his birth father. It was actually Desi Arnaz Jr.

Duke explained that he was born when she was 23 and single, following her scandalous affair with Desi Arnaz Jr., who was only 17. The media got wind of the affair and had a field day. A stranger named Michael Tell offered to help her escape the scandal by marrying her, and she agreed. But the union only lasted 13 days, ending before the arrival of her son's birth.

After Duke told her child Arnaz was his father, they developed a bond until he met Tell's relative in his mid-20s, who convinced him they were related. He got a DNA test, which revealed that, indeed, Tell was his biological father.

Now 52, Astin still considers John his father, the man who raised him. Meanwhile, he also has a close bond with Arnaz and Tell, including his stepfather, Mike Pearce, who wed his mother in 1986. In 2004, Astin was proud of the fact that he could reach out to any of his "four dads" and can rely on them to be there for him.

Astin's other co-star in "The Goonies" was Josh Brolin, who played Brand Walsh. He is better known today as one of the superheroes in the hit "Avengers" film franchise, playing the role of Thanos.

Brolin, 55, is one of the most successful actors coming from "The Goonies." His other acting credits include "Men In Black 3" in 2012.

In real life, he is a father of four kids: Chapel, Eden, Trevor, and Westlyn. The "Deadpool" star who is the son of actor James Brolin is one proud parent who relishes seeing his brood grow up before him.

Meanwhile, Corey Feldman, who portrayed Mouth in "The Goonies," revealed in October 2016 that he was forced to work as a toddler:

"I was basically a slave child. I started working at three years old, and it wasn't my choice."

In addition, he was exposed to drugs over the years, disclosing in 2016 that he had been sober for 25 years. Feldman said his son Zen was one of his motivators to remain sober and nothing would ever compel him to indulge in substance abuse again.

The doting father wants to be a good role model for his child, whom he shares with his former wife, Susie. Feldman gushed over his son, saying whenever he sees him smile, he reminds himself to remain positive for him.

Feldman, 51, starred alongside actress Kerrie Green aka Andy in "The Goonies." After the film's success, she appeared on TV shows like "ER" and "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit."

She founded a production company called Independent Women Artists in the early '90s. Green, 56, went on a decade-long hiatus from the screens only to reappear in the movie "Complacent" in 2012.

Green's fellow co-star, Ke Huy Quan, who portrayed Data, recently made headlines by winning his first-ever Oscar at this year's Academy Awards for "Everything Everywhere All at Once."

The Vietnam native revealed his "The Goonies" co-stars warmly congratulated him on his massive win for Best Supporting Actor, adding:

"I love all of them so much. Every single one of them was so happy. We're family forever. Goonies never say die."

Quan, 51, previously divulged that he struggled to find acting gigs following his appearances on "The Goonies" and "Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Doom," as a child.

As a resort, he started working behind the scenes as a stunt coordinator on "Enigma" and "X-Men" and earned credits as an assistant director and cinematographer.

Another star from "The Goonies" is John Matuszak, who played Sloth. Although he befriended Chunk, he chained him to a chair in a dark basement.

Before making his film debut in the classic movie, Matuszak was an American football player playing defensive end. The Wisconsin native sadly died after the film's release on June 17, 1989. He passed away at age 38 from heart failure.

Do the Actors' Kids Look Like Them in "The Goonies?"

Three decades after their movie's debut, the cast members are now proud parents who give glimpses of their family lives on social media.

Feldman is a father of one son, Zen, whom he welcomed in August 2004. In 2019, he wished his only child a happy birthday in a lengthy post on Instagram, alongside a photo of the father-and-son duo posing half-naked.

In October 2010, Feldman took his son to attend the 25th-anniversary celebration of "The Goonies." The pair posed for the camera at the event alongside Quan.

Like his co-star, Astin is also a loving parent to daughters Ali, Elizabeth, and Isabella – whom he welcomed with his spouse, Christine Harrell. The father of three posted a family photo during Christmas 2018 wishing his followers happy holidays.

Another proud parent is Brolin, who has four kids from his two previous marriages. In a 2022 post, the actor reflected on being a dad alongside a photo of his young self holding his firstborn.

Brolin revealed he became a father for the first time at age nineteen. In 2021, he posted a photo of him and his wife, Kathryn Boyd, beaming while holding their two young daughters, Westlyn and Chapel.

The doting dad also gushed about his eldest kids, daughter Eden and son Trevor, alongside a photo of them as a trio. He expressed his love for them, showing him what humility is.

There were talks of a sequel to "The Goonies," but that never happened. Quan revealed several scripts were in the pipeline, but not a single one of them could live up to what the first movie was.

Moreover, one of the filmmakers, Richard Donner had already passed away, leaving Quan to say the possibility of a remake was now slim. But he expressed his eagerness to explore Data's character if the opportunity arises.

Be that as it may, Disney + is reportedly in the process of creating a series based on the film titled "Our Time," meaning there is a chance Quan could relive his character again.