Jerry O'Connell opened up about the death of Rob Reiner, who directed coming-of-age classicStand By Me.
"For those who may not know, I am an actor, and I was inStand by Me," O'Connell said when the anchors of Fox 5'sGood Day New Yorkbegan talking about the court hearing of Reiner's son, Nick Reiner, who is accused of his murder. "It was my first job, and Rob Reiner was the director ofStand by Me. And this is very emotional for me to hear about."
O'Connell, who was 12 when the film hit theaters in August 1986, played Vern, alongside costars Will Wheaton, Corey Feldman, and the late River Phoenix.
Nickpleaded not guiltyMonday to charges connected to the fatal stabbings of his parents, Rob, 78, and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, 68, on Dec. 14, 2025.
"It's going to be very difficult going through this whole trial process," said O'Connell, a veteran talk show host, who appeared to struggle for words at times. "I'm going to be watching it closely in the hopes that it doesn't become one of these circuses that sometimes happen around these murder trials. It's very emotional and chilling, and it's churning up a lot of emotions."
One day after the couple's death in December, O'Connell spoke about his love for the director, whose credits also includeSpinal Tap,A Few Good Men,The Princess Bride, andWhen Harry Met Sally.
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"I just feel like a parent has passed," he said onCBS Mornings.
He explained, "You know, I don't mean this as any offense to my parents who are still with us [but] Rob was like a father to me. It's just surreal."
O'Connell recalled that Reiner had encouraged him as an actor long before his roles inThe Big Bang Theory,Scream 2, orSliders.
"I worked with [Rob] when I was 11, and at that point in my life, you know, I wasn't getting into trouble criminally, but I was always getting in trouble for speaking out loud in class and not being able to keep my mouth shut," he said. "My mother would always say, 'Sit on your hands and shut up.' And I got to that set ofStand by Me,and I ad-libbed a scene one day early on in shooting, and he was like, 'Cut! Jerry!'"
But rather than admonish him, Reiner congratulated him.
Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly