Why This ‘Sandlot’ Star Left Hollywood: Avoided ‘Things That Happened to Other Child Stars’

Lauren Novak October 9, 2:25 pm

THE SANDLOT, Chauncey Leopardi, 1993 — 20th Century Fox Film Corp. All rights reserved/Everett Collection

What To Know

Chauncey Leopardi, best known as “Squints” from The Sandlot, left acting to avoid the pitfalls that affected many other child stars and because he lost passion for Hollywood’s demands.
He fondly recalls filming The Sandlot as a unique, joyful experience akin to summer camp, which created lasting memories for both the cast and fans.
Now a father of five and cannabis entrepreneur, Leopardi occasionally reunites with his castmates and embraces the enduring legacy of his iconic role.

Chauncey Leopardi will always be remembered as Michael “Squints” Palledorous, the wisecracking kid with the oversized glasses in The Sandlot. More than 30 years later, he’s still asked about the role that defined a generation — and why he quit acting soon after. “It’s one summer, set in 1962, that can live forever,” he told PEOPLE in a new interview, opening up about his life now and how he left Hollywood because he realized he simply didn’t like the job of being an actor.

Leopardi’s career began by chance after booking a commercial in Dallas. He went on to appear in Father of the Bride, Boy Meets World, 7th Heaven and eventually Freaks and Geeks. But nothing compared to The Sandlot, which was filmed during what felt like a real-life summer camp in Utah. “We were staying in a condo complex — all the kids and all our families,” Leopardi recalled. “We had a pool there, we were playing video games. On set there was baseball and a treehouse that was built for the film and it was all incredible. We were working long hours in the heat but at the same time, we had this amazing summer camp experience. It was very fun and pleasurable and it translated to the screen to live forever as this one moment.”

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The film’s initial box-office run was modest, but everything changed once it hit VHS. “It took off and it was just like the biggest thing ever to hit Blockbuster,” Leopardi said. Now 44, Leopardi is a father of five who lives in Los Angeles and runs his own cannabis brand fittingly named Squintz. Acting isn’t gone completely as he still appears occasionally and reunites with his castmates for conventions and signings, but he admits he no longer has the same drive for Hollywood. “The grinding, the auditions and all that … I got to a point where I wondered, ‘Do I even like doing this? Is it something I’m truly passionate about?’”

Due to maintaining a life outside of acting, he felt that he avoided many of the pitfalls that befell his fellow young performers in Hollywood. “I transitioned better than a lot of child actors,” he said. “I was in the industry but not completely in the industry and I think that definitely helped me balance away from things that happened to some other child stars.”

THE SANDLOT, Shane Obedzinski, Mike Vitar, Brandon Adams, Patrick Renna, Chauncey Leopardi, Victor DiMattia, Grant Gelt, Tom Guiry, 1993

20th Century Fox Film Corp./Everett Collection

Still, Squints remains close to his heart. He added, “At the end of the day, it’s something that has given people genuine joy, so I feel like if that’s my life and that character has to be something I have to keep alive, then that’s a blessing. It makes people happy and offered us all tons of core memories.” At one point, he confirmed there were talks about a Sandlot spinoff television show and now several stars are talking about launching a podcast.