Kiefer Sutherland denies rumors that he bullied younger costars in ‘Stand by Me’

Kiefer Sutherland has addressed a viral claim that he bullied "Stand by Me" costars Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman and Jerry O’Connell while on the set of the 1982 film. 

During a recent episode of "The Talk," Sutherland shut down rumors that he "picked on" his younger costars once and for all. 

After "The Talk" cohost Natalie Morales brought up the claim, Sutherland said, "Absolutely not true. First of all, I’m not that kind of actor and I wouldn’t want to be that kind of person. I spent a lot of time with River Phoenix because we both played guitar, and so that was kind of an in to him. Even though I was seven years older, we were both beginning, right. And so there was a lot of discussion about ‘How do you develop a character, what is your process?’"

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In 2021, a fan wrote on X, "Stand By Me fact: To keep in character while off-camera, Kiefer Sutherland often picked on Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman and Jerry O'Connell."

At the time, O'Connell, who also cohosts "The Talk," replied, "Yes but we can take him now. Any time. Any place."

In his new interview, Sutherland said he actually wishes he had more time to spend with his younger costars. 

"Actually, it’s very funny, that at the age of 17, which I was in ‘Stand by Me’, I had probably a more in-depth process than I even do now. But we didn’t get to work together," he told O'Connell. "I think one of things that’s been frustrating for me when I think about ‘Stand by Me,’ is they always ask me what everybody else was like … we really only had the one big scene at the end, where Wil Wheaton pulls the gun and I had to run away like a girl."

"You were 17 when you did 'Stand by Me'? I felt like you were like 40," O'Connell said. "I just thought you were the most grown-up person … Now, I will say that Kiefer did not bully us, there was no bullying. But Kiefer, I was so scared of you."

After the appearance, Sutherland took to social media to share a photo of the mini-reunion with fans.

"Got to visit with an old friend this morning on @thetalkcbs. @mrjerryoc … fantastic!" he captioned the post. 

Earlier this year, Sutherland spoke with Fox News Digital on the Critics Choice Awards red carpet and talked about the challenges of working in Hollywood. 

"Does that exist?" he said when asked if he has ever fully settled into his career. "You know, there have been moments where I felt calmer than others."

"I think '24' for me was a fantastic opportunity because it was the first thing that felt like a real job. I went to work five days a week, eight months to 10 months a year, and then I was lucky enough to do it nine years in a row. So, there was a moment where that made me feel calmer."

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"But I'm back to the every three months I'm out of a job kind of thing," he said.

The 57-year-old added, "I've been so fortunate, I'm certainly not going to complain about that. But it does take a certain kind of wear, you know."

Fox News Digital's Elizabeth Stanton contributed to this report.