‘Those Are My Guys’: Rob Lowe Shares His Love For The Outsiders Costars

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As a lifestyle expert with a keen eye for Hollywood history and a soft spot for the Brat Pack era, I find myself deeply moved by the reminiscences of Rob Lowe about his formative years and the making of the iconic film, The Outsiders. His bond with costars Tom Cruise and Emilio Estevez, forged in the crucible of youthful ambition and shared experiences, resonates profoundly with me as a testament to the power of friendship and camaraderie that can be found even amidst the tumultuous world of showbiz.

In the early 1980s, Rob Lowe made several appearances on TV. However, it was his roles in movies such as The Outsiders (1983), Class (1983), The Hotel New Hampshire (1984), Oxford Blues (1984), St. Elmo’s Fire (1985), About Last Night… (1986), and Square Dance (1987) that catapulted him to fame, earning him the title of a teen heartthrob and member of the Brat Pack. These movies solidified his status as a notable figure in Hollywood.

In a recent interview with People, Lowe reminisced about his close relationships with costars Tom Cruise and Emilio Estevez in the timeless coming-of-age film, The Outsiders. “I celebrated my 18th birthday on set in Tulsa… Those [costars] are my friends, my buddies, my fraternity brothers,” Lowe shared with the publication. “We were all very intense and extremely competitive. Tom [Cruise] took it a step further. He had an extraordinary level of dedication and served as an inspiration.”

Lowe played the role of Sodapop Curtis, the brother of the main characters Ponyboy Curtis (C. Thomas Howell) and Darrel Curtis (Patrick Swayze). “It’s funny, the movie meant different things to me over the years. As it was happening, it seemed perfectly natural, [and] that was my fraternity,” he said. “And now with time, and with so many generations growing up and accepting the movie, and it being a part of their lives… to be part of it is really special.”

Lowe’s bond with Estevez, rooted in their childhood in Malibu, was deep and he appreciated having a best buddy to help him navigate the highs and lows of being a young Hollywood actor. “It was an amazing moment in time… and this [film] felt really special. The seriousness with which Francis and everybody, all the actors, took it, was really ahead of its time”, he added.

1983 saw the American release of “The Outsiders,” a movie based on S.E. Hinton’s 1967 novel of the same title. This film was brought to life thanks to inspiration from Jo Ellen Misakian, a librarian at Lone Star Elementary School in Fresno, California, and her students. The film garnered generally favorable reviews, particularly for its acting performances, and proved successful commercially, earning $33.7 million against a production budget of just $10 million.

12-year-old Lowe secured his first professional acting gig in 1976, while he was still residing in Dayton. He portrayed a messenger boy in a Sherlock Holmes play at Wright State University’s summer theater. By phoning every local theater, he managed to find out if there were roles for children in any plays. Lowe earned $150 for his performance. In 1979, Lowe was cast as Tony Flanagan in the brief-lived television sitcom A New Kind of Family.

Back in 1988, a then 24-year-old Lowe found himself embroiled in a sex scandal involving a video recording of him engaging in intimate acts with two individuals: Tara Siebert, who was 22, and her teenage friend Lena Jan Parsons, aged 16. This trio had initially crossed paths at Club Rio, an Atlanta nightclub. The events were captured on tape the evening prior to the Democratic National Convention held in Atlanta, Georgia.

In Georgia at that point, both individuals were old enough to participate in sexual activities since they were 14. However, the law stated that one couldn’t be involved in such recording until they turned 18. During this period, Lowe was advocating for Michael Dukakis in his campaign. Despite the controversy, Lowe’s career eventually recovered and he poked fun at his actions during two performances as host of Saturday Night Live following the scandal.

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2024-08-19 11:07