Actor River Phoenix’s story has long haunted Hollywood: A rising star with rare talent and a tragic ending that came far too soon. Now, more than three decades after his death outside The Viper Room on Sunset Boulevard, his career is being reexamined in Season 2 of “Variety Confidential,” the acclaimed podcast series from Variety and iHeart Podcasts.
Season 2, titled “The Life and Legend of River Phoenix,” debuts today with a gripping first episode that revisits the actor’s unconventional childhood, his meteoric rise and the emotional scars fame left behind. The episode opens with the chilling 911 call made on the night of Phoenix’s death, instantly setting the tone for a deep and emotional journey into the young actor’s life.
Hosted by Tatiana Siegel, Variety’s executive editor of film and media, the series features never-before-heard reflections from those who knew Phoenix best, including co-stars Corey Feldman and Samantha Mathis as well as his friend and collaborator Matt Ebert. Feldman, who co-starred with River in the 1986 coming-of-age classic “Stand by Me,” recalls their time together both on and off the set, including formative experiences like their first taste of teenage rebellion and shared dreams of working together again.
“River was like the James Dean of our generation,” Feldman says in the premiere episode. “Everybody knew he was going to be an Academy Award winner. That’s what made his loss so devastating — we were just scratching the surface of what he could do.”
The podcast dives into Phoenix’s genesis, growing up in Florida in a free-spirited family that once belonged to the controversial Children of God cult. Born in 1970, River and his siblings, including Oscar-winning actor Joaquin Phoenix, experienced a nomadic life before landing in Hollywood.
Combining exclusive interviews with archival material, “Variety Confidential” paints a portrait of a gifted artist whose performances in “My Own Private Idaho,” “Running on Empty” and “The Mosquito Coast” still resonate. Experts, including Variety’s chief film critic Owen Gleiberman, reflect on how Phoenix redefined what it meant to be a teen idol in the 1980s — one who carried emotional gravitas well beyond his years. Yet, as the podcast makes clear, the pressures of fame and the burden of being his family’s primary breadwinner took a toll.
Phoenix’s struggles with addiction and fame culminated in his sudden death at just 23, sending shockwaves through the entertainment industry that still reverberate today. Future episodes examine Phoenix’s artistry, his activism and the demons he could never quite outrun. “Variety Confidential: The Life and Legend of River Phoenix” is available now on all major podcast platforms.
“Variety Confidential,” distributed by iHeart Podcasts, is available on the iHeartRadio app, Variety.com, as well as other major podcast platforms. “Variety Confidential” was created by Dea Lawrence, Variety’s COO and CMO, and Steve Gaydos. Season 2 is executive produced by Dea Lawrence and Tatiana Siegel.
Sources and Citations
Variety
‘Stand by Me’ Oral History: Rob Reiner and Cast on River Phoenix and How Coming-of-Age Classic Almost Didn’t Happen, Variety, July 28, 2016
Additional Resources
30 Years On: The Death of River Phoenix | DARK SIDE OF THE 90s, VICE TV, Oct. 31, 2023
Stand by Me, Columbia Pictures, August 1986
My Own Private Idaho, New Line Cinema, September 1993
River Phoenix Interview, E!, 1988
River Phoenix and Martha Plimpton Interview, Today Show, NBC, 1988
Joaquin Phoenix Interview, This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von #598, July 18, 2025
1989 Oscars, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2Scvtm0MwE
River Phoenix Interview, Toronto’s CFTO News, September 16, 1988
Martha Plimpton — on almost going broke pre ‘Raising Hope’ and missing River Phoenix, Dinner’s on Me with Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Sony Music Entertainment & A Kid Named Beckett, June 17, 2025
