MovieChat Forums > Jonathan Brandis Discussion > Remembering Jonathan Brandis

Remembering Jonathan Brandis

posted 5 years ago by AlexJohan (390)
4 replies | jump to latest

I knew Jonathan from about 1995/96 to about 1999.
It was not until 2006/2007 when I started to use Facebook that I read that he had passed. This birthday was yr.day. RIP

We had mutual acquaintances and hit it off right away. He knew people and was successful in granting us access to the Viper Room and other venues despite us being under 21. He would lie to woman, hosts and bar owners that my father was a film & TV producer yielding free drinks, sex & access.

It was fun times but I never managed to secure any sustainable work in Hollywood. I was more of a boy toy for men and woman working in the entertainment industry. When Jonathan came off Seaquest DSV he as well struggled at additions leading into depression and drugs. Jonathan would rent this room The Barclay Hotel in DTLA and we would venture over to Skid Row and buy heroin. Lingering in the room for days, getting high and messed up.
We did this for months. After some time Jonathan cash ran out and things became less pleasant. I had to leave LA for a while due to a death in the family and when I returned Jonathan was strong out all the time. We lost touch shortly after. We would meet some friends place but we never hung out like before. You are missed.

[–] exithereplease (3553) 5 years ago

This sounds like a tragic life.

Glad you recovered.

I remember Jonathan as Lucas Wolenczak on seaQuest and as Bill Denbrough in IT.

He was great in both.

...Just reading about him the other day.

Question: Do you think his part being cut in "Hart's War" attributed to his suicide? Or was it more his dependency on substance abuse?

[–] AlexJohan (390) 5 years ago

I’m not qualified nor did I have any contact with Jonathan around that time so its hard to say. My guess its started way before that.
According to him he was very close on securing Titanic but lost out to Leo. He also lost out on other projects during that same time. Those rejections where hard on him. Jonathan used to be in magazines and did hit movies and popular TV shows. The drop in popularity came hard and fast. We where young than and insecure. Did not help that guys we hung out with secured parts in larger projects like Starship Troopers, Scream and Scream 2, I Know What You Did Last Summer , The Craft or went on to do a Superman TV show.

I remember he went to casting calls drunk or high as well.

He had already experimented with heavy drugs like cocaine by the time we hooked up. The rejections just increased the amount used. The amount used fueled his depression. Looking at IMDB his acting career was pretty much over in 2003.

[–] Bloodworth79 (5694) 5 years ago

Seems like Hollyweird ate this kid up and spit him out.
Dont mess with heroin as well

[–] AlexJohan (390) 5 years ago

Nothing is free in this world and especially not in Hollywood. In regards to Jonathan who was a star at an early age did not handle the transition from star actor to adult actor very well. Failed auditions and casting calls, zero call back, rejections from magazines, girls replacing his posters with other, newer, stars had its toll. In my opinion he had it easy.
I secured a few extra or walk on parts, nothing major, in a few smaller and larger pictures and TV show in 96/97/98. In order to be considered for an extra ( part of a crowd in the background, sitting in a restaurant or in a bus )for an unknow actor, you had to pay. Payment was usually sexual in nature and it was man on man. Some of those producers, casting guys and directors was real pieces $ hit.