Movies - TV
A Signature Goonies Moment Was Deeply Painful Behind The Scenes
By WITNEY SEIBOLD
"The Goonies" is an adventure film directed by Richard Donner and produced by Steven Spielberg. It follows a group of kids from the "Goon Dock" neighborhood of Astoria, Oregon.
On a quest to find the hidden treasure of the legendary pirate One-Eyed Willy, the kids encounter booby traps, perilous criminals, and unforgettable adventures along the way.
However, one of the movie's most popular moments for fans is deeply painful and rooted in trauma for the child actor Jeff Cohen, who portrayed the charismatic Chunk in the scene.
The infamous moment is Cohen’s signature “Truffle Shuffle,” where Chunk lifts his shirt and shakes his belly in a silly dance for his friends, leaving Cohen feeling down.
Donner admitted in an interview with Uproxx that it was Cohen’s idea. He stated, “There was no direction. [...] I don't take any credit for that; it was just Jeff.”
Cohen spent his adolescence shedding the weight he was mocked for as a kid, largely thanks to director Donner's fatherly care, as he told the Daily Mail.
Recognizing Cohen’s struggle with limited roles and weight, Donner remarked, “He became very special to me when he did the Truffle Shuffle because there was an honest pain […].”
Donner noted, “He lost lots of weight [...] and became captain of his wrestling team [...],” He also provided Cohen with financial support to graduate from law school.