{"id":232,"date":"2026-07-14T12:36:45","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T12:36:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mealmagic.delicedcook.com\/?p=232"},"modified":"2026-07-14T12:36:45","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T12:36:45","slug":"chunk-wasnt-left-behind-he-rewrote-the-script-what-jeff-cohen-looks-like-today-and-how-he-got-there","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mealmagic.delicedcook.com\/?p=232","title":{"rendered":"\u201cChunk\u201d Wasn\u2019t Left Behind\u2014He Rewrote The Script: What Jeff Cohen Looks Like Today, And How He Got There"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Jeff Cohen: From \u201cChunk\u201d to Hollywood Power Player<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If you grew up quoting \u201cTruffle Shuffle,\u201d get ready for a twist \u2014 <em>Chunk<\/em> from <em>The Goonies<\/em> didn\u2019t vanish from Hollywood. Jeff Cohen, who stole hearts in 1985 with his mischievous grin, reinvented himself as one of Hollywood\u2019s top entertainment lawyers.<!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<p>Gone are the milkshake days \u2014 today, Cohen is known for sharp suits and sharper deals. After <em>The Goonies<\/em>, acting roles faded, but he pivoted with purpose. He studied business at UC Berkeley, became president of the student body, and later earned a law degree from UCLA.<\/p>\n<p>A life-changing gesture helped him along the way. Director Richard Donner, moved by Cohen\u2019s determination, not only wrote him a college recommendation but also helped him financially \u2014 a Hollywood kindness that launched a second act.<\/p>\n<p>In 2002, Cohen co-founded <em>Cohen Gardner LLP<\/em>, a Beverly Hills firm specializing in entertainment, media, and tech. His deep understanding of show business made him indispensable. <em>Variety<\/em> and <em>The Hollywood Reporter<\/em> have both honored him as one of the industry\u2019s top dealmakers.<\/p>\n<p>At the 2023 Oscars, Cohen had a full-circle moment when his <em>Goonies<\/em> co-star Ke Huy Quan won Best Supporting Actor. Quan thanked his \u201cGoonies brother for life,\u201d revealing Cohen had negotiated his comeback deal \u2014 a reunion decades in the making.<\/p>\n<p>Beyond law, Cohen shares his insights through his book <em>The Dealmaker\u2019s Ten Commandments<\/em>, offering practical advice on negotiation and leadership drawn from Hollywood\u2019s toughest rooms.<!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<p>Yes, he looks different now \u2014 fit, confident, and polished \u2014 but the real transformation lies in how he turned child-star fame into lasting influence.<\/p>\n<p>Jeff Cohen\u2019s story proves you can outgrow your first act. He didn\u2019t get left behind; he rewrote the script \u2014 from <em>Chunk<\/em> to champion, on his own terms.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Jeff Cohen: From \u201cChunk\u201d to Hollywood Power Player If you grew up quoting \u201cTruffle Shuffle,\u201d get ready for a twist&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":233,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-232","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mealmagic.delicedcook.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mealmagic.delicedcook.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mealmagic.delicedcook.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mealmagic.delicedcook.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mealmagic.delicedcook.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=232"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mealmagic.delicedcook.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":234,"href":"https:\/\/mealmagic.delicedcook.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232\/revisions\/234"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mealmagic.delicedcook.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/233"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mealmagic.delicedcook.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=232"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mealmagic.delicedcook.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=232"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mealmagic.delicedcook.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=232"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}