Todd Bridges Shares Last Conversation With Gary Coleman as New Doc Released About Late Co-Star

As the dark side of being a child star remains a hot topic, Peacock brings GARY, a new documentary centered on the career, life, and death of one of the biggest child stars Gary Coleman. He gained worldwide fame charming audiences on the hit sitcom Diff’rent Strokes and with his iconic catchphrase “What You Talkin’ ‘Bout Willis?” 

This kind of success can be a blessing and a curse. The price of forever finding himself in the public eye as he battled illness, depression, financial trouble, run-ins with the law, and a tumultuous marriage. Coleman died in 2010 from a reported brain hemorrhage. He was 42. The circumstances of his death are examined in the 90-minute film.

Coleman’s mom, dad, ex-wife Shannon Price, former girlfriend Anna Gray, and friend and former manager Dion Mial are among those who speak about the unique relationships they had with the late actor. Todd Bridges, who co-starred with him on Diff’rent Strokes as his brother Willis also contributed to the project. Bridges also battled through his own trials and tribulations that became tabloid fodder. We caught up with the 59-year-old on why GARY is an important watch. 

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What was your reaction when you found out there was a documentary being done on Gary Coleman? 

Todd Bridges: I thought it should be done. I thought people needed to know what he went through so they have a view of him different than what the media has said. I think they will get a better view of who he really was, the person he was until he was completely changed by outside interference. 

How was it going back on the old Diff’rent Strokes set after all these years for the doc? 

It was wonderful to walk back over there. I even walked by my old dressing room. That was a lot of fun. I enjoyed it. It was quite fun to bring back those old memories. It’s unfortunate I had to do it all by myself. 

Do all these emotions flood back? It must be hard to have those reminders that Gary and Dana Plato are both gone. 

The thing that really got to me was that everyone was counting me out. Here I am 31 years of sobriety now, married, and doing well. It’s an unfortunate thing, but at the same time, I’m happy that God allowed me to get this far. 

When was your last conversation with Gary before he passed? What do you remember about it? 

I talked to him a week before he passed away. We were really back on good terms. We just talked about what he was into and doing. He was asking what I was doing. I was a couple of days away from going out of town and going on vacation with my family. He wanted to know where we were going. We were going to the lake for some jet skiing. I think Gary never wanted kids, but he did enjoy meeting my kids. 

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The documentary has his parents involved. What did you think of their relationship? 

I think for every kid in showbusiness if you have parents on that side, it’s difficult. There was one time he even had kidney transplant surgery and was back on set a week later. That shouldn’t have taken place, but it did. It was a money issue for them. That’s who he was to them. I’m glad I wasn’t like that for my family. 

What are your thoughts on how child stars are treated today? Are documentaries like this helping make things better for them? 

I think that the child stars of my era are different than the child stars now. I think the child stars now have the ability to make even more of income on their own because of all these social media opportunities and other things they can do that will help them progress. At the same time, you have to get used to the criticism because there is going to be a lot of it. I always say to people don’t read your criticism. It’s a horrible thing to do. I think it’s different today. You make a heck of a lot more money. You can position and align yourself to do other things. 

Back when we started, you weren’t allowed to do movies. You could do TV movies but not really ones in the theater. You were a TV actor, stage actor, or movie actor, that’s how it worked. Now you can do anything. You can sing or do whatever you want to do. There are advantages now, but it’s definitely a view that we have to look for and make sure we don’t create something like that again like Gary with children. You should never work with kids when they shouldn’t be working. If they’re sick, they need to stay home and take care of themselves. Parents need to be a lot more involved and at the same time have their own jobs and own personal lives. They shouldn’t just engulf themselves in their children’s lives. 

Photo by: Peacock/Raw TV Ltd

What was your reaction when you found out about his death? With this documentary, everyone has their own side of what happened to him. What are your thoughts? 

Me and my friend John had a conversation with his ex-wife at the time. We told her not to pull the plug because we knew Gary wanted to try to make it back. That was his wish. That if something had happened to him, he wanted the opportunity to make it back. We asked not to pull the plug. She pulled the plug anyway. That really got to me because I thought he could make it back. Gary lived for years without any kidneys. If he could live through that, and most kidney patients don’t live that long. He did. He was a survivor. So, it really bothered me the fact his life got taken away from him. It is just sketchy views as people will find out. There are some sketchy and weird things that took place that day and the moment he lost his life. 

How do you want people to remember Gary?

I want people to have empathy for him. Remember he is one of the greatest child stars of all time. I think he is the greatest child star of all time. He was someone who was unique and amazing. Our show helped NBC succeed. 

Do you think with everyone doing reboots and revivals now we’d see another iteration of Diff’rent Strokes today if Gary hadn’t passed? 

That’s something we’re pushing for now actually. We’re trying to get it done. I think there is a good possibility to get it made. I think it will be different but good. I think right now with the climate of this country, this is definitely needed. 

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What do you want people to walk away with from watching this documentary? 

I think that what people don’t understand is there are more cautionary tales in regular kids’ lives than child stars. I always tell people for everyone that had problems, I can tell you 10 that didn’t. I’m hoping this documentary also shows that it’s not just everyone that has issues. Some people come from great families. For me, having a great mother helped me come back. One of your parents has to be great to pull yourself out of the dirt when you are being pushed around. The bottom line is life isn’t fair You have to move forward and take the blows and dust yourself off. You have to keep moving forward.

GARY premiere, August 29, Peacock