Forty years ago, Rob Reiner‘s career path took an unexpected turn with the success of Stand by Me. After starring on All in the Family, Reiner moved behind the camera to direct a pair of comedies: 1984’s This Is Spinal Tap and 1985’s The Sure Thing.
An adaptation of Stephen King‘s 1982 novella The Body, Stand by Me represented Reiner’s first foray into dramatic filmmaking. The introspective movie centers on four classmates setting out to find the body of a boy who went missing in the woods. In addition to taking a more nostalgic tone than the darker source material, Stand by Me puts its focus on Wil Wheaton’s Gordie, with Richard Dreyfuss stepping in after principal photography to narrate the movie as an adult version of the character.
Reiner said that he cast the young actors — Wheaton, River Phoenix, Jerry O’Connell and Corey Feldman — because they felt like real versions of their roles, and indeed, Wheaton has been open that surviving abuse at home inspired his performance as the neglected Gordie. Wheaton tells THR that he appreciates Reiner having sent the young cast to rural Oregon two weeks ahead of the shoot to bond. The actor adds, “More than once, we would be goofing off after rehearsal, and Rob would tell us to put that into the scene.”
