"…I recorded my VO for the A&E Biography of River Phoenix yesterday…it was really tough. I had to stop a couple of times, because I felt like I was going to cry. I haven’t thought about him, really, for years. I didn’t know River when he was a messed up. I onlyreally knew him when we were kids, working on Stand By Me. I don’t know what drove him to be a drug addict, because it’s different for everyone…but I suspect that a big part of it was a desire to numb the pain that often comes with being a professional actor and celebrity. River hated celebrity, and had a very hard time with it…that I doknow. There are times when I don’t like celebrity, either, but I am lucky enough to have survived my teens and early twenties, and now that I’m almost 30 (!) I can put stuff into perspective.

I often wonder what would have become of River, if he’d lived. I think he’d be giving actors like Johnny Depp and Brad Pitt a run for their money, man.”

by Will Wheaton from alekasspirit