Stephen King recalls hugging Rob Reiner after watching ‘Stand by Me’ in tribute to director
Stephen King posted a heartfelt tribute to director Rob Reiner in The New York Times on Tuesday, after the filmmaker and his wife were tragically killed over the weekend.
The “It” and “Carrie” novelist remembered Reiner inviting him to the Beverly Hills Hotel back in 1985 to view a rough cut of Stand by Me. King’s film was based on the 1982 novella The Body.
King wrote that he was “deeply affected” the first time he saw the movie, admiring how faithfully Reiner had translated his “nakedly autobiographical story.” He added: “When the movie was over, I thanked Rob and surprised the hell out of myself by giving him a hug.” He noted that he’s not usually the kind of person who embraces people and wondered whether Reiner had ever experienced one of his own hugs. “He stiffened, muttered something about being glad I liked it, and we both stepped away.”
King went on to say he still felt the emotion bubbling up, so he forced himself into a men’s restroom and sat in a stall until he could calm down. “Nostalgia can be dangerous when it’s up close. I don’t exactly know what I mean by that, but it feels true.”
Reiner also directed the 1990 adaptation of King’s Misery, an installment that King appreciated as well, though it didn’t move him the same emotional depth. King added that Reiner had asked him to join a documentary critiquing Donald Trump’s lack of appeal.
In a later reflection, King spoke about how Reiner handled backlash on Twitter with his usual poise. “He was a political presence, a social commentator and a wicked satirist,” King said, yet “all that still pales for me when I watch Chris Chambers say to the weeping Gordie Lachance: ‘You’re gonna be a great writer someday.’ That weeping boy was me. It was Rob Reiner who put it on the screen.”
Reiner was found dead along with his wife Michelle Sunday in their Los Angeles home. Their son, Nick Reiner, was arrested Sunday night on suspicion of killing his parents. Friends told the Los Angeles Times that Nick had quarreled with his parents at Conan O’Brien’s Christmas party Saturday night and had been acting strangely before the murders.
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