Jerry O'Connell is sharing an emotional tribute to the man who launched his career.
The actor, 51, appeared in a CBS special about Rob Reiner that aired Dec. 21 and delivered powerful reflections on what the late filmmaker meant to him. Reiner directed the first movie of O'Connell's career: 1986's "Stand by Me."
In the "Rob Reiner - Scenes from a Life" special, O'Connell broke down in tears as he spoke about Reiner's kindness.
"Rob Reiner heard I was in LA, and he took me out to lunch, man," he said. "He didn't have to do that, you know what I'm saying? It was months after the movie came out, and he was a busy man. He took a 12-year-old me out to lunch, just to be like, 'Thanks so much.'"
Continuing to choke up, he added, "That lunch meant so much to me. It's just stuff that kids need to hear."
