River Phoenix interviewing teenage male prostitutes

Wonder who died first, River or those hustlers?

In 1996, the redhead with the Eton Lips featured in a documentary

River was very nonjudgmental. He understood what it was liked to be pimped out and having to hustle for money but by his own parents. I'm pretty sure, Keanu was a struggling actor by day, male prostitute by night who made it big in Hollywood.

The guy holding the camera and doing the interview, sounds like a perv.

Like he's trying asking them questions to satisfy his own sexual curiosity.

The questions he asks, and the way he asks them, are exactly the same as those guys who produce the "straight guys have sex for money" porn videos on XTube and PornTube.

Goddamned creep.

Gus Van Sant is a hit or miss director. He hit it with MOPI though mainly due to River Phoenix's performance and rewriting of the script to make Mike actually gay. Gus is gay himself but seems to prefer to have sexually fluid or straight characters just like Gregg Araki.

River Phoenix doesn't sound very intelligent in this video.

River was divine .

River seemed very shy and uncomfortable doing this. He's also stoned too. I respect he actually did the research for the role and treated the interviewees with respect.

River was a weed and beer man . Not a junkie

One of the teen hustlers from the video got interviewed again about River by Bill Richert nearly 30 years after MOPI.

[quote]River was a weed and beer man . Not a junkie

You're kidding, right?

[quote] Wonder who died first, River or those hustlers?

Ask Johnny Depp.

River was exposed to hard drugs as a kid actor. He was reportedly snorting coke with his costars during the filming of Stand By Me. I do think he was a recreational user until MOPI and his depression around the time got him deeper and deeper into hard drugs. He was also working a lot to provide for his family and had a lot of films on contract to finish. All the stress probably led him to self-medicate. In a perfect world, he would have went on hiatus and went to rehab and maybe retire and live his own life. He was basically a slave to his parents his whole life.

Did River say he was try-sexual? I always wondered if he was bi. The whole dropping the towel thing was kind of hot.

R11, no I’m Dead serious. River was murdered!!

Yeah, he was murdered, given a hot dose or whatever, but he wasn't just a beer and weed guy.

It was an interesting tape. The Jordan guy was articulate and open about bisexuality. And whoever was filming was, yeah, kind of pervy.

I was most impressed by the young hustler who does most of the talking. He got himself off drugs and gave a great little speech about being "high on life." In the follow-up video he has the same kind of upbeat optimism as he did on the tape. What I don't understand is the girl at end talking about the wrap party. (Was that River's sister?) Was this interview shot after the film was in the can? Why would they be asking about prostitution if they'd already completed the film.

That Children of God cult took advantage of a First Amendment loophole.

From watching the interview I got the feeling River was attracted to the hustler.

John frusciante murdered river ! And a huge cover up followed .

Thank you R21.

"According to Bob Forrest in his 2013 memoir Running With Monsters, actor River Phoenix, a friend of the Chili Peppers, was living with Frusciante in late October 1993. Forrest said that the two would do large amounts of drugs together, embarking on binges and barely sleeping. Phoenix died on October 31 of a drug overdose."

People said that John gave River the speedball but had no intention of killing him. So maybe negligent homicide.

I wonder what the relationship between Depp and Jaoquin is like.

After River died, Frusciante got really deep into drugs. Like, walking dead. Wonder if the guilt contributed to it.

Yikes. Now I know why Ricky Schroder turned Mormon.

River was quite diverting but dammed by Hollywood.

Hollywood is a sick and fucked up place for kids.

It never ends well.

Bob Forrest is LYING!! River arrived in L.A on Thursday, Oct 28 after filming in Utah for 8 weeks . River returned to LA to film the final shots indoors at unknown studio . River had Friday off and returned to work on “Dark Blood “🩸 on Saturday the 30th . He rapped up filming around 7 PM . He returns to his hotel where his siblings , Joaquin and Rain were waiting for him . Joaquin wanted to go to Viper Room but he was underage. River only intended to go to Viper to get his underage siblings in. River was clean .Bob claims they did copious amounts of coke, That’s absurd

River was packing. HUGE loss.

River was beautiful and luminous. Not to mention a sweet soul to his core.

Judy Davis is a fucking bitch. And he had to do the last scene of his life with her in "Dark Blood," a love scene. The director said she was impossible and River asked if he could do the love scene last, instead of the middle of the picture. She made him feel like a loser and he didn't want to touch her. The last scene of his life.

THE LAST SCENE OF HIS LIFE!!!!

R10 literally said nothing. He just kept saying "River touched my life".

Dude, say something substantial or shutup.

That whole Children of God cult. Weird. He was the golden child. His parents put him to work from the time he could walk. He's like James Dean to the Grunge Generation.

River’s mother is a diabolical bitch

River was the best looking child. He had charisma, talent and the parents knew this. The others weren't as attractive nor were going to be in movies. Joaquin and Rain owe their careers to their brother actually. In River's case, beauty and charm was a curse to him because he was exploited for it.

Rain looks like Joaquin in drag

River was a boring proto-DiCaprio. The male Winona Ryder. Good in his angsty teen role and that's about it. MOPI is a slog. Agreed with r6. He always sounded like a complete airhead.

r37 Joaquin in Walk the Line and To Die For had a certain sex appeal that River never had IMO.

River had tremendous charisma

r30 Proof? Or more DL fantasy?

Dude I engaged in penetrating research.

Joaquin did blossom into a sexy guy in his 20s and he made such a career for himself that people forget he is River Phoenix's brother (though to be fair they look nothing alike at all). He unfortunately became the breadwinner for the Phoenix clan after his brother's death.

River and Leonardo DiCaprio had nothing in common besides being young blond haired actors who were considered for similar roles. Leo was always cocky and a smart ass who was fame hungry and wanted awards. River was more interested in indie films and doing music and writing. River was definitely more like Winona Ryder in his interesting choice of films. Leo goes for Oscar bait roles.

[quote] He unfortunately became the breadwinner for the Phoenix clan after his brother's death.

Joaquin's parents had "the talk" with him.

"Son, your beautiful, handsome, talented brother is dead. So now, you'll have to do. Go out and MAKE US SOME MONEY!"

Joaquin Is on verge of mental collapse.

R47 why do you say that?

He is unwell . He’s completely controlled by his mom and sisters . He seems very unhappy

Gus Van Sant has skeletons in his closet. River Phoenix and Rodney Harvey. That kid from Paranoid Park. He's kind of like Larry Clark who will take naive young talent and encourage them to "method act" (via take drugs and party) and capture it for art. It borders on exploitation.

Despite his absence of a formal education, River always struck me as bright and intellectually curious. However, in this interview, I get the impression that he, assisted by the weed and beer, chose to adopt a dumb stoner bro persona to encourage the hustler to feel as free and open as possible.

R51, yes

I got the impression River was into the hustler. The way the kid unbuttoned his pants and River opened his towel.

River comes across as try hard

Kind of like how Queen Latifah went to lesbian bars to do 'research" on her bull dyke character Cleo in SET IT OFF

I think River was pretty smart and open-minded though not the most articulate or confident speaker. He was doing research for this role, of course he was going to dumb down himself when speaking to a group of male hustlers as to not intimidate them. Actually any journalist would do the same thing.

No one drinks a speedball!!