T’SHARDTOSEE
Chunk inJeff
Cohenanymore.Thirtyyearsafter
playing themop-topped, chubby,
Hawaiian-shirt-wearingkid in the
Spielberg-producedclassic
TheGoonies
,Cohen is
now41and lean,keepshishairshornandwearssharp
suits.Onlywhenhesmilescanyousee it,butsome-
where insidehim, the10-year-oldkid liveson.
Sitting in theBeverlyHillsofficeofCohen
GardnerLLP, the lawfirmhestartedatage27, he’s
so removed fromhispastyouwouldn’tmake the
connectionunlessyouspotted
the
E.T.
poster in the reception
area, inscribedby thedirector:
“ToJeff (“Chunk”)Cohen, you
aremy favoriteGoonie! Steven
Spielberg.”
Cohensmilesandsays, “I’m
innoposition todisagree. IfSteven thinksI’mhis
favoriteGoonie, sorrydudes; it iswhat it is.Although
heprobablywrites thatoneveryoneelse’sposter—
Sean [Astin;whoplayedMikey],Martha [Plimpton;
Stef],JoshBrolin’s [Brand]gotoneandsoon,butI’m
believingI’m theonlyone, soI’ll take thatasawin.”
Cohen insists thathedoesn’tdwellonhis time
as“a failedchildactor.”Butgiven that lastyearwas
the30thanniversaryof thebelovedfilm (rumorsofa
sequelpersist), thepowerfulentertainmentattorney
ishappy toreminisce.He’salsohappy todiscusshis
Show
Business
BUS INESS
ByPaulSalfen
ILLUSTRATION
DAVIDBUISÁN
PAULSALFEN
is aDallas-based
consultant, producer,
editor, writer and
entrepreneur who
currently co-hosts and
produces
Let’sGo
DFW!
, aguide to local
happenings inDallas.
More than30yearsafter thereleaseofhis
belovedmovie,
TheGoonies
,wecheck inwith
JeffCohen, akaChunk,whonowgivesadvice
toentertainmentprofessionals
I
AMERICANWAY
APRIL2016
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