The Life-Changing Advice Sean Astin Got From Dad John Astin Before His ‘Goonies’ Audition
John Astin, who endeared himself to classic TV fans as Gomez in the 1960s series The Addams Family, wasn’t just a notable TV dad — the actor, 95, gave son Sean Astin some key acting advice before the younger Astin auditioned for The Goonies.
In an interview with AARP at the Awesome Con fan convention, Sean recalled working with his famous father on the Goonies audition material at the condo where John was living shortly after his divorce from Patty Duke, Sean’s mother.
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“And what he kept saying to me was, ‘Sean, stop acting your idea of what this boy is supposed to be. It’s actually you. If you look at what he’s saying and how he’s being, it’s you. And the most important thing you can do is just be honest. Just have what you’re saying be honest,’” Sean said.
John’s advice paid off: Sean landed the part of Goonies leader Mikey Walsh in the 1985 adventure comedy film, in which he costarred with the likes of John Brolin, Ke Huy Quan, and Martha Plimpton.
“Now I think of the word authentic, you know, but that piece of advice has carried me through my acting career every moment of my journey,” Sean told AARP.
Sean’s journey has included parts in the TV show Stranger Things, the film Rudy, and, of course, his role as hobbit Samwise Gamgee in the blockbuster Lord of the Rings trilogy.
John, meanwhile, continued acting on screen, starring in the Attack of the Killer Tomatoes horror-comedy film series, recurring on the TV show The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. and even working with Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson before Sean did with the 1996 horror movie The Frighteners.
He also taught drama at Johns Hopkins for 25 years, Sean said — and it’s no wonder!
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