On the street, Haim runs his hands through his wavy black hair and inquisitively drinks in New York City. He stares up at the skyscrapers, seemingly completely unaware of passersby gawking at the Lost Boy. Giddy women whisper and there are a number of double takes, but he simply smiles at everyone, from doormen to hot dog vendors. Outside the MTV building, as he takes a drag on his cigarette, a man approaches him. He tells Haim they worked on a set together nearly 20 years ago, and that Haim, who was at the peak of his career at the time, was “very cool” to the man then and he has never forgotten it. The 35-year-old actor is clearly touched.
Once inside the MTV newsroom, Haim is greeted by cautious execs, their shoulders hunched in anticipation. Everyone melts with relief as soon as Haim flashes a toothy grin. Perhaps he’s not such a “bad boy.” Cubicles are abuzz—an older MTVer tells his younger co-workers who Haim is. “He did Lost Boys, that vampire movie. And License to Drive.” A sea of “Ooh, I know him”s follow. It’s time for Josh Horowitz, a 20-something interviewer, to ask the questions everyone wants to know, about Haim’s relationship with Feldman, about his very famous ex-girlfriends—a group that includes sexy actress Alyssa Milano, Baywatch beauty Nicole Eggert and Victoria “Posh Spice” Beckham (He dated Posh?!)—like everyone else, they want dirt. Haim veers away from talk of girlfriends and rumors, and focuses on his upcoming ventures. Eventually the interviewer gives in.
Haim bubbles over; he wants to talk about his new partnership with Mandalay Alliance Entertainment. In conjunction with Gelernt, Haim signed on to operate what he describes as “an urban art house” division of the production company, where both hope that Haim will direct as well as act. The pair is toying with the names “DeTox” or “Q”−DeTox for obvious reasons; Q would be named after Haim’s dog, an American mastiff who passed away 12 years ago. A sentimental Haim still wears Q’s dog tags around his neck and sports a tattoo on his forearm of the pooch’s paw prints.
“Mandalay Alliance Entertainment created a division for minority-driven films. Not just minority as it relates to ethnicity, but religion and sexual orientation also. We feel very strongly about doing a Holocaust film,” says Gelernt, who, like Haim, is Jewish.
Corey Haim producing a Holocaust film? Who would guess that a guy mostly known for his wild exploits would, or could, tackle such a weighty subject? This is the “New Corey” that he wants the public to know—part of that new persona, which includes the slow and possibly painful separation from his longtime friend and
co-star Feldman.
And just as chaotically as we swooped into MTV, we swoop out.
As we wait for the car service, people on the street cautiously approach Haim—to wish him well, to just stare, or to chitchat. Haim pulls on the collar of his thin black sweater and talks to strangers as if they were old friends. He wraps his arms around the neck of his much taller roommate, Daniel, and introduces him to everyone as his “brother D.” Very Entourage. When we finally shuffle into the car, a small crowd is left on the street watching an energetic and charismatic Haim disappear.
In the gray SUV, Haim leans over his front seat and says sheepishly, “I’m good at talking to people.”
Childhood Celebrity: A Double-Edged Sword
The story of child stars seems to be a script in itself. Countless stories of a stellar rise that gives way to a crushing fall—we’ve seen it a hundred times. It’s the fodder of today’s headlines; books, TV shows and websites are dedicated to it. We love to build them up and then knock them down—and sometimes, as in Haim’s case, root for them as they claw their way back up again.
So what makes young stars, like Haim, so susceptible?
Gelernt believes it’s a case of learned indulgence.
“These kids had everything,” the tough-talking New Yorker explains. “There was nothing they couldn’t have, and everybody did everything for them. They never learned any impulse control.”
Gelernt, who Haim calls the “the gentle bulldog,” is intent on guarding Haim from letting a lack of impulse control ruin what she believes is a very bright future.
Two Coreys: Two Stories
The Aug. 27 issue of National Enquirer has Feldman accusing Haim of groping Feldman’s wife, Susie, during filming of The Two Coreys. Gelernt calls it a publicity stunt (she has her theories as to who started the rumor) to boost ratings for the show, but Haim takes it more seriously, and explains it as part of his reason for wanting to separate from his friend of 20 years.
