And no, I'm not going to attempt to insert his catchphrase from Diff'rent Strokes in this blog somewhere.
Growing up in the 80s, I remember Arnold Drummond being the kid so many of us wanted to be. Not so much because the character was rich, but because he was fast with the put-downs and witty sarcasm, and would get away with it. It's the same reason I liked Scott Schwartz in The Toy and Kidco.The popularity of the show led to his older movies like Jimmy the Kid getting more reruns on HBO and what not.
Frankly I'm surprised he didn't die from suicide. And he admitted to attempting it before. Granted there are lots of 80s comedy sitcom actors whose careers never revived because they'll forever be remembered as "that kid from that show". But Coleman's growth stunt just further compounded it. It didn't matter how old he got, what roles he landed, or what kind of career in politics he wanted to sincerely get into. The world was never going to see him as anybody but lil' ten year-old Arnold.
While I'm not saying this excuses him from breaking the law, I can sure understand why he seemed so pissed off and disillusioned in every interview over the last 20 years. It's too bad. He sure had some funny moments even as an adult.
