Corey Feldman speaks out on being abused as a child star: 'The biggest problem in Hollywood is pedophilia'
Corey Feldman, the former child star who acted in hits like Stand by Me and The Goonies, says “the biggest problem in Hollywood is pedophilia” in a new interview with British newspaper the Guardian, in which he speaks out against efforts to derail a documentary that will reveal the names of the men he claims sexually abused him and his late friend and co-star Corey Haim as young actors.
Feldman, now 48, has previously spoken out about being molested as a child. He’s also alleged that Haim, who died at age 38 in 2010, was raped by “a major Hollywood figure” while filming the 1986 film Lucas— whom Feldman plans to identify in his documentary, Truth: The Rape of the Two Coreys. But the Lost Boys star tells the Guardian that the film has been subject to delays and interference over insurance, which he sees as part of a larger Hollywood conspiracy.
“Nobody wants to go after the bad guys,” he tells Guardian writer Hadley Freeman, furnishing letters from lawyers denying him access to police reports and video footage. “What the hell is really going on here?”
When asked why he doesn’t simply name the alleged abusers — amid criticism from Haim’s mother, who has accused him of profiting from her late son’s ordeal — Feldman expresses reservations.
“Well, the insurance hasn’t come through yet,” he responds. “Also I don’t want to give it away because I need people to see the movie.”
Freeman acknowledges that Feldman has struggled to be taken seriously because of his past substance abuse, reality show antics and flair for the dramatic. His defense of longtime friend Michael Jackson — whose photo appears in his home — from multiple allegations of sexual abuse against minors has also stirred up controversy, though Feldman insists that the late pop star never acted inappropriately with him.
He also dismissed a theory espoused by Rob Reiner, who directed him in 1986’s Stand by Me, which suggested that Feldman and co-star River Phoenix, who died of a drug overdose at age 23, struggled as child stars because they lacked the “familial foundation” to keep them on the straight and narrow.
“I think that’s a nice excuse,” Feldman says. “I love Rob, but he’s off-base. What happened to Corey Haim on the set of Lucas was, yes, of course, because his parents were negligent. But there were bad actors on the set who shouldn’t have been there and have been protected since.”
Feldman feels like Hollywood is protecting his and Haim’s alleged abusers — and is still stung by his friend not being included in an Oscars In Memoriam montage — which he sees as hypocritical given its recent support of #MeToo and #TimesUp.
“They go to the SAG Awards and they get all dressed in black and they honor Patricia Arquette,” he says, referencing the actress’s outspoken speeches for equality. “But why was I not invited?”
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