Actor Jerry O’Connell got his start at just 11 years old as Vern Tessio in the Rob Reiner directed film Stand By Me. He went on to appear in movies like Jerry Maguire and Scream 2, as well as TV shows like Sliders and Crossing Jordan.
On March 14, O’Connell will be stopping by the Strathmore in Bethesda, Maryland, for a screening of Stand By Me and post-movie conversation, along with his co-stars in the film, Wil Wheaton and Corey Feldman. The event is in honor of Stand By Me’s 40th anniversary.
O’Connell talks to Northern Virginia Magazine about the event, including the recent death of director Rob Reiner, the first time reuniting with Feldman and Wheaton in decades, and why he has been spotted multiple times in a Virginia Tech sweatshirt.
Congratulations on Stand By Me becoming such an iconic movie. What can audiences expect at the Strathmore event next month?
I’ll sit there and watch the movie with everyone, because I haven’t seen the movie with an audience since opening day in 1986. I get to see how much I kill in that movie; people really laugh. When you’re a movie actor and you sit in a theater and everyone’s laughing at your scenes, I’m not sure there’s a better feeling in the world.
My father told me when I finished filming not to tell anyone that I was in a movie, because it’ll never get released. He had worked with some guy who made a horror movie, and it never got released, so I didn’t tell anyone. How wrong was my father?
With the sudden death of Rob Reiner in December, has your perspective on the movie and its reflection on life changed?
This will be the first time that we are doing this tour since Rob has passed. I don’t know what emotions I’ll be feeling. You’ll be feeling it along with us, it’s going to be emotional, that’s for sure. He was, simply put, the best. Every professional relationship I’ve had since working with Rob has paled in comparison — sorry to everyone I work with — that said, it’s going to be tough.
We’ve got to go out there and remind everyone that he was the best and say how good he was. I really want people to remember Rob for being the most caring, adult figure in my young life. (Sorry Dad and Mom!)
Has there been a group chat with Wil and Corey for years, or will this be a true reunion that is decades in the making?
There has not been a group chat. I feel like this has finally brought us back together and I’m so happy. I feel like we’re having a dinner party with the Capulets and Montagues. It’s so fun because when we do these tours, we get on a bus and we’re together 24/7. I’m carrying Corey’s wardrobe changes, and trust me he has a lot of them. It’s such a fun time. We immediate fall into the same rhythm we had with each other.
Are (O’Connell’s wife Rebecca Romijn) Rebecca and you still watching The Real Housewives obsessively? Are you still advocating for her to be on an upcoming Beverly Hills season?
My wife’s not going to be on Beverly Hills anytime soon. So much drama in that franchise.
What are you shooting now? Can you give us a preview of what’s coming up this year for you?
It’s called Summer’s Last Resort. I can’t wait for it to come out. It’s with a great young actress named Violet McGraw. It’s going to be a great family movie; it also stars Sophia Bush.
You’ve been spotted wearing a Virginia Tech sweatshirt. Do you have a connection to the school?
I bought that sweatshirt years ago, when the horrific shooting happened there [in 2007]. That’s how old it is. It was so emotional to me, I thought, ‘What could I do?’ I thought, ‘I’m going to buy a VT sweatshirt.’
Full disclosure, I don’t really follow the Hokies or anything, but it’s the best quality sweatshirt I’ve ever owned. I don’t know if it’s all the scientists and technicians at Virginia Tech, but they’ve designed the perfect sweatshirt. It’s the perfect material, perfect thickness, and it washes perfectly.
It’s my favorite sweatshirt, and my most prized possession. I happened to wear it on a day Virginia Tech was playing, and I got paparazzied, and now everyone thinks I’m a huge Hokies fan.
Another reason why I wear it and always post about it is because I can’t believe the amount of attention I get on social media every time I wear it. Hokie influencers repost it and everything.
Feature image courtesy Jerry O’Connell
