During his heyday in the '80s, Corey Feldman experienced the extreme highs and lows of being a child star in Hollywood. The actor stopped by HuffPost Live to discuss his just-released memoir Coreyography, and revealed details about his friendship with Michael Jackson, who reached out to Feldman when he was at his lowest.
"I don't know a lot of things that happened in the years I wasn't around, but all I can tell you is remarking about the person that I know, the person that was my close friend, that was like a brother to me. He was not that guy," Feldman told host Ricky Camilleri.
"He was a guy who was so innocent, so kind of sheltered, you couldn't even swear around him. You couldn't talk about drugs, you couldn't talk about nude women, you couldn't talk about sex. You couldn't talk about anything, because he was a very religious man for much of the early stages of his life and career."
Following an arrest, Feldman was afraid Jackson would abandon him to preserve his own reputation. "When I got arrested, I was afraid, to be honest with you, that he'd never talk to me again because he had such a clean image -- that I really expected that he'd just be like, 'see ya!' you know? And that really showed me the value of what type of person he was."
"The fact that when I did get arrested, even though his image was still squeaky clean and by all rights he could have stepped aside and moved me back, but he didn't," Feldman continued.
"He called me. I got that message on my answering machine, which said, 'Hi Corey, it's Michael. Is everything ok? Call me if you need me.' You know, he was a friend. He was supportive. And thank God for that."
COREY FELDMAN SLAMS MICHAEL JACKSON CHILD MOLESTATION ACCUSER WADE ROBSON: 'HE HAD A GRIPE'
Posted on Oct 7, 2013 @ 17:48PM | By Four years after his deathis still surrounded by controversy but his longtime friendnever stops defending him .
Corey hit back at a , who posthumously accused the King of Pop of abusing him.
When Mike Parziale, who runs the 'Supporters of Wade Robson and other victims of MJ' , tweeted to Corey, asking "Corey you have a son would you allow him to sleep in the same bed as MJ if he was still alive?" andthe Goonies star was quick to respond.
"Dude get over it! MJ is gone And if Wade had a gripe, he shoulda said so while the man could defend himself!" Feldman wrote, referring to Robson's claim that
Feldman continued his defense of Jackson, writing: "plus if he was such a victim y did he take his side during "the trial" and let MJ buy him a house/car? I never took a thing!"
According to Robson, it wasn't until May 8, 2012 that he realized he'd been systematically abused -- after multiple nervous breakdowns which included feelings of extreme stress, anxiety, fear, .
Feldman has been an outspoken supporter of his late friend. He released the video for"Ascension Millennium" this summer where he danced and dressed up like Michael Jackson.
Commenters hit back at Parziale's tweet, slamming him and writing: "Like corey feldman 4 example. He hounds him & when par does not get the answer he likes he attacks him."
VIDEO CLIP FROM ABC NIGHTLINE (AUGUST 10, 2011) CELEBRITY SECRETS: UNDERAGE AND FAMOUS CNN LARRY KING LIVE
Interview With Corey Feldman
Aired November 21, 2003 - 21:00ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LARRY KING, HOST: Tonight, exclusive, Corey Feldman, the actor who's known Michael Jackson since he was 13 years old. It's his first interview since Michael's arrest for child molestation. He stood up for Michael when his first child molestation scandal hit us 10 years ago.
Plus, with the latest on the case, Court TV's Diane Dimond, on top of the story since 1993. "Entertainment Tonight" correspondent Jann Carl, Court TV's Nancy Grace, the former prosecutor, high profile defense attorney, Chris Pixley, Michael Jackson's one-time attorney, Johnnie Cochran, and Dr. Robi Ludwig, the psychotherapist who's treated victims of sexual abuse. They're all next on LARRY KING LIVE.
KING: We'll bring our entire panel back in a little while. When we come back, Corey Feldman, actor, musician, was good friends with Michael for many, many years, starting at age 13. Corey Feldman next, then back with our panel. Don't go away.
KING: The next guest, quite a talented young man, Corey Feldman, actor and musician was good friends with Michael Jackson for many years starting at age 13. He's about to begin a new movie called "No Witness" and is also working on his fourth album. What do you make of all of this?
COREY FELDMAN, ACTOR: Well, there's a lot to make, I suppose.
KING: Shocked?
FELDMAN: No. Who would be shocked? It's happened before. It's a repeat performance. We have seen it before. We know what to expect.
KING: You spoke up for him ten years ago. Are you doing the same tonight?
FELDMAN: I'm taking more of a neutral stance at this point, but that's not necessarily to say that I believe anything. It's more to say Michael and I have had our personal issues through the years and we've had our differences and for that reason, I'm not here as a cheerleader.
KING: You are not now his close friend, right?
FELDMAN: We're not close friends at this time.
KING: You were close friends?
FELDMAN: We were very close, yes.
KING: And you're not going to tell us why it broken up?
FELDMAN: It's kind of irrelevant. Not relating to at all.
KING: How did you meet?
FELDMAN: It's a great story. We met on the set of the "Goonies." I was a huge fan of his. Growing up I idolized the guy. I was acting since I was 3.
So being, you know, a huge fan and idolizing the guy, wanting to dance like him, wanting to dress like him, all of those times of things, like most kids did in the '80s and some still do today. And what happened was I was kind of bothering Steven Spielberg. I said, Steven, you've got to introduce me. I know you guys are friends. I've seen the press.
And Steven said, well, I'll try to get to it. We got us tickets to the Victory Tour where we all went to Dodgers Stadium. What happened was, he kept teasing me with you're going to meet him and eventually it came down to this day on the set shooting this water pipe scene.
And Richard Donner, who director the film, Steven Spielberg directed the second unit stuff on it. So, we're down there, and we're doing this water pipe scene, and it's a big tight close-up on me and Spielberg says, by the way, I need you to be shocked, I need a great expression and you're going to do this line where you say, "reverse pressure. And look right into the camera. And by the way, Michael's coming to the set today.
What? you know. Got that reaction.
KING: Did you hit it off right away?
FELDMAN: Oh, yes, immediately. Immediately. Well, don't forget, there was seven kids in the cast. It was a big cast of kids and Michael, of course, tried to spend time with everybody but I was the one right by his side. Hey Michael, hey Michael.
KING: Did he befriend you? Did you go to Neverland?
FELDMAN: I said to him, if I gave you my phone number, would you call me and he said, sure. I thought, not in a million years. He called me that night and we spoke for probably two hours on the phone. Told me stories about McCartney and this and that. It was great. We became very close and spoke once or twice a week I would say at the least.
KING: Spent time with him?
FELDMAN: Spent, plenty of time.
KING: Go to Never, Neverland?
FELDMAN: Been to Neverland many times.
KING: I say Never, Never. It's one Never, right?
FELDMAN: It's one Never, yes.
KING: Did you sleep with him?
FELDMAN: No. We shared rooms a couple of times. Never shared a bed. But, you know, like one time we went to Disneyland and we went to the Disneyland Hotel and, you know, he was a -- so much of a gentleman, which this really surprised me, but so much of a gentleman but he actually offered his bed and allowed me to sleep in his bed and he took a cot. And he slept in the cot. That's a true story.
KING: Is he childish? Childlike?
FELDMAN: Childlike. There's a difference between childish and childlike. And the reason I say that is because I try to hold the same kind of reasoning in my own life. I believe that there -- it is okay to be childlike, it is OK to have wonderment and disbelief in the world and to see the world through a child's eyes. However, childish means a sign of immaturity and I doubt he's immature.
KING: You don't think he's immature.
FELDMAN: No.
KING: What was his behavior around other kids when you were around him?
FELDMAN: You know what? Everything that I have seen, I have to be completely honest, because I couldn't do it any other way. Everything I have ever seen about him has been kind and hearted to children. I've never seen him act in any inappropriate way to a child.
KING: And he was never inappropriate with you?
FELDMAN: Never with me. Never with me. KING: So, then why not be fully committed to him now as you were ten years ago?
FELDMAN: As I said, we had our personal differences.
KING: It didn't have anything to do with this?
FELDMAN: It had nothing to do with this. We had a situation, which I can't really talk about, but it was around the time of his 30th anniversary special and we had a falling out as friends sometimes do. And we've had our differences. It's been a bit public.
But, you know of course I wasn't the first one to say, hey, ra ra ra, Michael Jackson, but I will say this much, the biggest focal point for me is the way the media is handling it. I mean, let's face it. He's an American. He's an American citizen. And he has the right to a fair trial. Regardless of his celebrity. And that's a thing that sometimes is lost, Larry, is that people seem to just forget that celebrities have the rights to any other citizen.
KING: When we come back, we're going show you Corey in a quick scene from a movie in which he was doing a takeoff on Michael. We'll be right back. Don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: Our guest is Corey Feldman, long time good friend of Michael Jackson. In "Dream a Little Dream" you played a high school rebel that's obsessed with Michael, right?
FELDMAN: I don't know if it was part of the character description, but I was obsessed with Michael and that bled into the character.
KING: Let's see a little bit of that.
Doing a good job, Corey.
FELDMAN: I had the extensions. I could dance much better than that, by the way. They didn't show the best stuff.
KING: We know you had your own problems, you had drug problems. What was Michael like during that period of your life?
FELDMAN: Well, you know Larry, that's interesting and a good question because at that point in my life and especially Michael's life and career, he was kind of very sugar-coated at that time and very kind of prim and proper. Everyone thought of him as the perfect ideal of the American citizen.
And for me, it was kind of like Michael's probably not going to stick around, probably not going to be my friend anymore and it was a big shock he was very supportive and came out and called me and asked if there was anything he could do, if there was anything that I needed and gave me profound advice, which was to take the pain of the torment and the turmoil I was enduring and to kind of refocus that into my acting and to use it. And it was profound advice and I've used it.
KING: Do you say there were areas he was wise?
FELDMAN: He was very wise. Very, very intelligent man.
KING: Then why all of the do you think peculiarities? The facials?
FELDMAN: You know what? Michael Jackson is a very eccentric man. You know? He's just -- you can't understand him. I can't understand him. You know, what I do half of the things he does or make half of the choices he makes? No. But then again I'm not Michael Jackson and I haven't achieved half of the things that Michael has. I haven't fought half of the things he has.
KING: Why do you think the appearance change has been so dramatic?
FELDMAN: Well, I think he's a very insecure person. And let's face it, when you have the media hounding you all the time -- I know for myself, you know, it's crazy having the media constantly following you around, constantly wanting to talk to you about everything that comes up. And that's just me. And being Michael Jackson, it's only going to be magnified by 100 times. It's very impactful on how you see yourself.
KING: Does he like public acclaim?
FELDMAN: No. Acclaim but he doesn't like being out there.
KING: Like, he liked driving around yesterday with the people grabbing his hand?
FELDMAN: I think he enjoyed that. Of course he did. It's an acknowledgment that he still has his fans.
KING: Why this -- the thing with children? Forget that he's sexual or anything. Why this attraction to be with kids? Why would he call a 13-year-old up at night?
FELDMAN: Again, I can want speak on behalf of him. And I'm sure he wouldn't want me to. , but I can tell you this much, based on my life, that's all I base it on, I grew up in this industry, I've been working since I was 3-years-old, 30 years I'm in the industry this year, with that, I had no childhood. I didn't have sleepovers.
I didn't have, you know, going away on field trips or going and doing school sessions or anything like that. I didn't even get to go to school regularly, because I was working all the time. So, I know I missed a great part of my childhood and can only imagine he feels the same. I know he does and why he got along for so many years.
KING: So he likes children because he still feels .
FELDMAN: Well, I'll put it to you this way. It's not only that. He's making up for it and saying, you know what, I want to help these kids. I want to give them the fun I didn't get to have.
And for myself, personally, I understand because, listen, I would have kids come over to my house. I have had kids come over plenty of times as an adult. I've had kids plenty of times come over and say, you know, this kid's sick with cancer. Wants to, you know, spend a day with you. Take him to Disneyland.
KING: Wouldn't you think -- we've got a couple of minutes left- that he would have been super careful in view of ten years ago? Tread easily.
FELDMAN: Here's the other side of the coin. If he's not guilty of anything, and he has said this to me, they're not going to stop me from being who I am. In other words, he's going to go on living his life the way he sees fit and envisions it. And for him to change or alter that course would make everybody feel they were right.
KING: He might have made that settlement to prevent a trial to prevent at thing, but didn't believe he did anything wrong and continue doing his life style because he doesn't believe he's doing anything wrong.
FELDMAN: Therefore -- exactly. And he says to prove -- to do anything different, he says, would be proving them right, because then I change for them.
KING: I got you. Do you miss his friendship?
FELDMAN: Yes and no. You know, it's like any lost friend. There's an emotional attachment, obviously. I miss that part. I miss the fun we had together. I hope that this is an eye opening experience for him, because I was always a good friend and true friend and I hope he looks at the people around him. What Michael Jackson needs more than anything, is to look around what he's got around him and say, who can I trust?
KING: Does he have people you're weary of about?
FELDMAN: It's not that, it's the people that he's cut off that he shouldn't have been so weary about.
KING: Oh, he cut off people in his life who, in your opinion, he should not have cut off?
FELDMAN: Exactly.
KING: People who gave him good advice.
FELDMAN: People who were there to just to be his friend.
KING: One other thing, is he close with his brothers and sisters?
FELDMAN: Yes. It's the whole family, it's -- they're inseparable. They will always be a family.
KING: So, when they stand together, that's not for public consumption?
FELDMAN No. They stand together no matter what. They're unified.
By the way happy birthday. I watched the show. It was great.
KING: Thank you, Corey. Thank you for coming on.
FELDMAN: Thank you.
KING: Corey Feldman, the actor, the musician was good friends with Michael Jackson. This is his first interview since all of the current hullabaloo began. I'm glad. You're not going to do any others? I'm last -- first and last interview.
Our panel returns right after this. Don't go away.
Source:
DREAM A LITTLE DREAM (1989)
"Dream a Little Dream" he played a high school rebel that's obsessed with Michael
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