You know the adorable chubby kid in Stand By Me, one of the most moving coming of age films ever made? The one who gets teased a lot by the others? Vern? Yeah, you know Vern. How is it possible that he's Jerry O'Connell? How does one person change so much in...wait, Stand By Me came out in 1986? 29 years ago? OK, maybe it's not a surprise that he looks pretty different. O'Connell has crafted a largely inoffensive public persona for himself by pulling off a physical transition that took him from Bullied Tween to Heartthrob Teen and is now sitting somewhere between American Psycho (it's the huge smile) and Hot Dad. He's enjoyed a busy if middling career as a TV and movie star, specialising in dully amusing jock characters in films like Can't Hardly Wait and Tomcats. His low-point (and, in fact, society's low-point) was probably 2003's Kangaroo Jack but it's far from the only bust in his repertoire. He has gone for mainstream over indie at every turn since Stand By Me and his roles have suffered as a result. If only he could've had a word with Jonathan Lipnicki on the set of Jerry Maguire and saved him before he attempted the same transition.
Brydie is an Australian writer and performer living in London and she complains exactly the same amount about the weather as every other Australian living in London. Yes, that is her natural lip colour, no, she will not be taking any further questions at this time.
