‘Didn’t work with junkies’: Corey Feldman blames Johnny Depp for his removal from an Oscar-nominated classic

Corey Feldman, the 53-year-old actor famous for his roles in classic ’80s films like The Goonies and The Lost Boys, has made a serious accusation against Johnny Depp. Feldman claims that Depp’s actions caused him to lose his role in the 1993 film What’s Eating Gilbert Grape.

According to Feldman, who recently spoke out on the Magnificent Others podcast, when Depp joined the Grape cast, he told the producers that Feldman was a drug addict and that he refused to work with anyone struggling with addiction. Feldman says this led to his dismissal from the film, despite having been chosen to play Arnie Grape, a role that eventually earned Leonardo DiCaprio his first Academy Award nomination.

Feldman suggested that Depp’s alleged interference changed the course of his career. He insists that at the time of the casting, he was sober, having recently finished a rehabilitation program. Still, according to Feldman, Depp called Feldman a “junkie” to a producer and said he “doesn’t work with junkies,” but there has been no confirmation from the producer in question.

Did Johnny Depp ruin Corey Feldman’s career?

Feldman started his career young, achieving early success in both television and film. His breakout performances in Gremlins and The Goonies made him a well-known child star. However, even though he continued to work in movies and TV throughout the ’90s, losing the Gilbert Grape role was a big setback for him. According to Page Six, he hasn’t seen the film since being removed and admits to feeling bitter about the opportunity he missed, uncertain about how much it affected his future career. Feldman said, “Had I not been pushed out and done that role, who knows what would have happened from that point forward. … [But] you don’t hang on those, you get past them.”

This incident isn’t the only time Feldman felt he missed out on significant roles. He also revealed that he almost landed parts in other major films, including The Shining, Titanic, and the The Lord of the Rings trilogy. While he accepts that he was too young for Danny Torrance in The Shining and acknowledges he wouldn’t have fit the role of Samwise Gamgee in The Lord of the Rings, the near-miss with Titanic, which also starred DiCaprio, underscores a pattern of major roles getting away from him.

Feldman’s claims come amidst his previously discussed struggles with addiction and allegations of sexual abuse in Hollywood. He has been open about his experiences with substance abuse and its effects on his life, according to Yahoo, and he advocates strongly for victims of abuse in the industry, sharing his own story in interviews and his memoir, Coreyography. These experiences add complexity to his current accusations against Depp. He argues that losing the Gilbert Grape role emphasizes the difficulties vulnerable young actors face in Hollywood.

The is based solely on Feldman’s account, and the validity of his claims has yet to be independently verified. Also, Depp and his team have not publicly responded to Feldman’s accusations. It’s also important to consider the timing of the alleged incident. At that time, Depp was 31 and already a well-known actor, and while Feldman has The Goonies and Lost Boys, DiCaprio’s family comes from the industry. By the time he got Titanic as a teen, he was already in a position where he didn’t need to audition.