{"id":1440,"date":"2026-01-13T15:36:24","date_gmt":"2026-01-13T15:36:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/viralarticles.it.com\/?p=1440"},"modified":"2026-01-13T15:36:24","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T15:36:24","slug":"from-chunk-to-powerhouse-attorney-the-wild-journey-of-jeff-cohen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/viralarticles.it.com\/?p=1440","title":{"rendered":"From Chunk to powerhouse attorney: The wild journey of Jeff Cohen"},"content":{"rendered":"
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If you grew up in the \u201980s, you\u00a0know<\/em>\u00a0Chunk.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Hawaiian shirt.<\/p>\n

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The legendary Truffle Shuffle.<\/p>\n

And loveable chaos machine who stole scenes in\u00a0The Goonies<\/em>\u00a0without even trying.<\/p>\n

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But what happened to the kid behind the icon \u2014Jeff Cohen \u2014 might be one of the most surprising Hollywood story of all.<\/p>\n

Behind-the-scenes<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Jeff Cohen\u2019s rise (and crash) from child stardom happened almost overnight.<\/p>\n

Born Jeffrey Bertan McMahon on June 25, 1974, in Los Angeles, he watched his family shift early in life. When he was around seven or eight, his parents separated, a moment that marked him deeply.<\/p>\n

Not long after, he chose a new identity for the screen, adopting \u201cCohen\u201d as his stage surname, a tribute to his mother Elaine\u2019s maiden name.<\/p>\n

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Before his breakout role in\u00a0The Goonies<\/em>, Cohen was already popping up on television. In 1982\u201383, he appeared as one of the kids who helped explain clues to players on the CBS game show\u00a0Child\u2019s Play<\/em>.<\/p>\n

A few years later, in the summer of 1985, he returned to TV as a young celebrity guest on the game show\u00a0Body Language<\/em>.<\/p>\n

While filming the legendary\u00a0The Goonies<\/em>, Cohen cemented his place in pop-culture history with the unforgettable Truffle Shuffle, bringing infectious energy to the role of the lovable misfit, Chunk.<\/p>\n

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Jeff Cohen shouting through a hole in the door in a scene from the film \u2018Goonies\u2019, 1985. (Photo by Warner Brothers\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With Richard Donner at the helm and Steven Spielberg producing, the adventure-comedy told the story of a ragtag bunch of kids embarking on a high-stakes quest for lost treasure in hopes of saving their neighborhood.<\/p>\n

A funny behind-the-scenes tidbit that many fans might have missed: Jeff Cohen was actually covered in chickenpox while filming\u00a0Goonies<\/em>. Worried he might get replaced, he kept it a secret and showed up on set anyway. According to the DVD commentary, sharp-eyed viewers can even spot the chickenpox on his chest during the iconic \u201cTruffle Shuffle\u201d scene.<\/p>\n

Director Richard Donner once said that Jeff\u2019s acting had a real, genuine quality \u2014 he was just himself on screen.<\/p>\n

This is how Cohen has described getting the role of Chunk:<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were basically about four fat kids in town, so every time there was a fat kid role you saw the same people at the audition,\u201d he told the Daily Mail.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt was survival of the fattest.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201dActing gave me up\u201d<\/h2>\n

After the success of\u00a0The Goonies<\/em>, Jeff Cohen would have loved to continue acting, but one thing stood in his way.<\/p>\n

\u201dWhen I hit puberty, it was a career-ender for me. I was transforming from Chunk to hunk, and I couldn\u2019t get roles anymore,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Then came the line that broke every Goonies fan a little:<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was terrible. My first love was acting, but puberty had other ideas. It was a forced retirement. I didn\u2019t give up acting. Acting gave me up.\u201d<\/p>\n

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From left to right, Jeff Cohen, Sean Astin, Corey Feldman and Ke Huy Quan in a scene from the film \u2018Goonies\u2019, 1985. (Photo by Warner Brothers\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So Jeff stepped away from the industry entirely, throwing himself into school, sports, and trying to find an identity beyond Chunk.<\/p>\n

He joked later:<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m pretty good at exercising and watching my diet because I know I could slide back into Chunk. But I am very proud that I was a professional fat person. Anyone can be an amateur, but who can be a pro?\u201d<\/p>\n

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Joined the football team<\/h2>\n

At UC Berkeley, he joined the football team, got through brutal hazing (\u201cI was always knocked on my a**\u201d), and even became the school mic man, where thousands chanted for him to perform the Truffle Shuffle. He finally did it\u00a0once<\/em>, and the crowd went ballistic.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no doubt that Jeff Cohen and\u00a0The Goonies<\/em>\u00a0director Richard Donner formed a strong bond during filming. Jeff has since praised Donner for his ability to draw out genuine emotions and natural performances from the kids, helping make the film a timeless classic.<\/p>\n

But Donner\u2019s support didn\u2019t stop there. When Jeff asked him for a college recommendation, Donner not only wrote the letter, he was so moved by Jeff\u2019s personal struggles that he generously covered the cost of his entire college education. Donner then helped him land behind-the-scenes jobs at studios.<\/p>\n

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