January 25, 2008

Brad Renfro Remembered By Co-Star Bijou Phillips, Director Barry Levinson

By Josh Horowitz, with reporting by Larry Carroll (MTV.com)

While fans and friends mourn the sudden death of 28 year-old actor Heath Ledger this week, another young actor whose life was recently cut too short is being remembered by those who knew him.

"Brad Renfro also died ... who I did three movies with," Bijou Phillips told MTV News at the Sundance Film Festival, clearly still in disbelief. "It's just crazy. Two young talented actors die in their sleep? It's just not cool. I don't know what's going on, but it's got to stop."

Calling the news "devastating," Phillips recalled the young man she called nothing short of "my brother." "Brad and I have been working together since we were 13," she said, still speaking of Renfro in the present tense. "We've been hanging out with each other since we were little kids. We were both at [the same talent agency], and we'd be in there coloring in the office-supply room."

Oscar-winning director Barry Levinson recalled to MTV News that his relationship with Renfro went even further back. "He was 12 at the time," he said of filming the movie Sleepers, in which Renfro played the young version of Brad Pitt's character alongside Robert De Niro and Kevin Bacon. Levinson admitted that the news of Renfro's death did not shock him.

While the results of toxicology tests have yet to be made public, there is widespread suspicion that drugs may have been a factor. The actor was arrested in 2005 on Los Angeles' skid row as he tried to purchase heroin from an undercover police officer. He subsequently entered rehab.

Levinson said that Renfro's problems went much further back. "At that time [of making Sleepers], I had to say, 'If he's going to be in this movie, we need to have someone with him 24 hours a day, because he really has problems.' They already had somebody with him, but I said, 'I want somebody with him 24 hours a day.' "

Clearly Levinson saw warning signs. "You just knew [he was troubled]," the director said. "He was fraught with demons and needed help. He just needed something to get him past whatever those issues were."

Despite whatever substance-abuse issues he faced, Renfro's talent in front of the camera was never in question. He was hailed right off the bat in his young acting career for his natural performance in the 1994 Joel Schumacher film The Client. Phillips recalled that his talents were plentiful. "He was an amazing singer, songwriter, actor. He could play any Elvis song."

Levinson agreed with Phillips' assessment of his ability: "He was a talented actor. I think he could have done a lot. He was very, very natural. It's one of those things that's just a tragedy."

In recent years, Renfro seemed to fall off Hollywood's radar. His last appearance of note was in 2005's The Jacket, in which he had a small role. Many were surprised to hear of reports after his death that the actor had fathered a child. Seemingly confirming those reports, Phillips said, "He had a little 3-year-old son. ... It's just crazy."