Stand by Me star Wil Wheaton spoke about director Rob Reiner just days before Reiner was found murdered alongside his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, in their Los Angeles home on Sunday, December 14, 2025.
Wil Wheaton credits his ‘honest’ Stand by Me performance to the late Rob Reiner
Wil Wheaton, who starred in Stand by Me, one of Rob Reiner’s most defining works, was touring with Corey Feldman and Jerry O’Connell to celebrate the film’s 40th anniversary.
Wheaton, who played Gordie in the film, spoke about Rob Reiner during the event on December 6, 2025, at Massachusetts’ Lynn Memorial Auditorium as part of the Stand by Me: Live tour.
“There are directors who talk at you, and Rob always talked with me,” Wheaton said. “Rob would always help me understand the foundational dramatic reasons behind doing things. A lesser director would have said, ‘Just do it this way,’ without explaining what it meant or why. That is one of the reasons our performances are so honest in this film.”
Wheaton also shared an instance from the shoot in which Reiner helped River Phoenix during a difficult scene. Wheaton recalled, “River was having a hard time finding where he was meant to be emotionally for that scene, and he was getting very frustrated with himself. River, as actors do, knew, ‘I can go deeper. I know that I can get there more. I just need another take.’ He was really struggling with it.”
He continued, “Rob said, ‘Can you think of a time in your life when an adult really let you down? When you needed an adult to be there for you, and they really let you down.’ River’s eyes filled with tears, and he said, ‘Uh-huh.’ Rob rolled the camera, and the next take is the one that ended up in the movie.”
Police are currently investigating the murders of Rob Reiner and his wife.
Originally reported by Sourav Chakraborty on ComingSoon.
