Pearl Jam: Tragic Story of The Kid Who Played Jeremy

Pearl Jam: Jeremy the story of the kid who played the character in the film.

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I cite my sources and they may differ than other people's accounts, so I don't guarantee the actual accuracy of my videos.

Grunge would dominate the music scene in the early 90’s and one of the band’s who was a frequent presence on MTV and on rock radio was Pearl Jam. Perhaps no video is more popular for Pearl Jam than Jeremy from their debut album Ten. Despite the song’s dark subject matter and controversial video, it received heavy rotation on MTV, is still frequently played on rock radio where I live and is the band’s most viewed video on YouTube. But whatever happened to the kid who starred in the video, well fame proved to be difficult to deal with and he would find a different path in life, His life would be cut short due to a tragic accident. That’s whjat were going to explore in today’s video

To celebrate the video’s 25th anniversary, Billboard Magazine would write a very indepth article on Trevor Wilson, the young actor who portray’s Jeremy in the music video. The publication would interview Mark Pellington who directed the video for Pearl Jam and Wilson’s parents who discuss a man who felt the same way about fame as the members of Pearl Jam did.

The video lyrics for Jeremy would be inspired by a real life event that happened at a Dallas school in 1991 when a boy who was bullied by his kids at school ended his life in front of his classmates. Director Mark Pellington would tell Billboard that Wilson was sick when he sent in his audition tape, but despite this he clinched the audition the second he walked in recalling "He was sick on his tape, and he didn’t play it like, 'Oh, I’m all angsty,'". "He was sitting there and I was looking at [his audition tape], and he was kind of dazed and numb and f--ked up. I found out later that he was sick. But he was so expressive, in a non-histrionic way." WIlson’s mother Diane would point to the fact that her son suffered from Asthma, something that may have influenced how he acted and looked the day of the audition. she would tell billboard that had she been at the audition chances are she wouldn’t have let her son go because she wasn’t a fan of firearms. Ironically MTV rejected the first cut of the video because they didn’t want any firearms shown in the video, much to the shagrin of the video’s director and the band.

Wilson’s mother Diane worked with people in show business while living in new york. His mother was a chef to well known celebrities including director Ridley Scott, talk show host phil donahue and actress michelle pfeifffer. Wilson would attend the Rudolf Steiner Waldorf School in Manhattan while spending his weekends at the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute. It would be the 1986 film Stand By Me that got Wilson interested in acting and one of Diane’s clients who saw potential in her son and suggested he try acting classes.

Wilson’s father accompanied his son to the audition after reading about it in the backpages of Billboard magazine. His son had already done a few auditions for other projects, but that was it. While he was waiting for his son to be called he overheard someone say and i quote “He has to have a good scream,” so he pinched his son’s leg until he let out a big scream and went over the lyrics of the song with him to help him better understand the character. Wilson got the audition beating out 200 other applicants. The original plan was not to feature Pearl Jam at all in the video, but Pellington decided against that after spending several days shooting the band in London.

After the video shoot wrapped up Wilson and his family went on vacation and relocated from New York to Los Angeles. By the time Wilson’s family was now living in Los Angeles Jeremy’s video had premiereed on MTV and feeling something seismic happen, they started to sense something big was happening with his Father recalling to Billboard . “Once we moved there, he started getting all this fan mail, and he went on this radio talk show [with Dr. Drew Pinsky] — and women were calling in and saying they’d like to take him to bed… just boxes and boxes of fan mail,” Wilson soon became recognizable to a lot of places he went with his father adding “After a few months of that attention, he kind of turned away.” with his mother adding

[nedaCFilms]

June 13th, 1986 I was 14yrs old and almost drowned in the ocean. It kept pulling me out and I was about to give up, I had nothing left and delirious from sucking water in my lungs. I kid came out of nowhere on a boogie board and saved my life. I wish I could find that kid. I think about him often. I never even got his name. Dude was a real hero.

[seeodder]

Trevor was my best friend; up until about my age of 10, when I moved away from NYC. We didn't attend the same schools, but our mothers were friends, which is how we became friends. We could easily talk on the phone for two hours about nothing more than "the latest edition of G.I. figures" that Hasbro had just released; Halloweens together; birthdays together; museums together; movie theaters together; and of course, a lot of time spent co-staring together into the 8-bit abyss of the original Nintendo console. Naturally, I regret not keeping in touch with him after I moved away... the way early childhood friendships almost always drift apart.

His mother, Diane, and father, Percy, both, separately, seemed adoring of Trevor; and fully, but separately, emotionally invested in him. I remember Diane as doting as to Trevor's artful interests, and Percy as possessing of these roguish insights into life that Trevor sought to emulate.

Trev, you gave life a real good ride.

[nateholt]

I have never herd anyone describe drowning as "peaceful". It's usually up there with one of the worst ways to check out.

[yurdp]

He sought fulfillment and not fame. Very respectable. We will miss you. RIP

[TheSaintedOne]

It's hard to remember that some people think drowning is a peaceful way to die when you're fighting for your life against the ocean.

[grimcity]

Tragic loss and taken way too soon, but to speak on his life... wow... he was truly a renaissance man. Respect.

[lisawhereisthecultjam]

His mother did not tell his father for a month? She sounds like a gem.

[thedungeondelver]

How utterly _utterly_ vile of his mother to not tell his father for a *month* .

[mutedmutiny]

I went to Woodward skateboarding camp with Trevor, I believe it was the summer of 93. Being teenagers trevor had grown a bit since the video and he looked older and different, but you could tell it was him. He wasn’t in my bunk but we hung out a bit. I can’t remember that much except he was pretty cool and didn’t seem like he wanted to be known as a celeb or “the kid from the Jeremy video”. I recall one time in the canteen which was like a hang area with arcade games and pool tables and a jukebox. I remember he was playing pool and somebody played “Jeremy” on the jukebox, and Trevor said something like “Jesus how many times are you guys gonna play that song”. My memory is that it was good natured ball busting and not like really trying to get a rise out of him. It doesn’t surprise that he didn’t really stay in the entertainment business and instead went into the international politics like he did. RIP

[metalgrinch]

Wow, incredibly sad. I remember as a 13 year old seeing the Jeremy video on MTV and absolutely adoring it. I would watch MTV all day just to see the video when it came on. Man, the days before instant streaming. RIP Jeremy

[ghostwalk]

There is nothing "peaceful" about drowning whatsoever

[deathtothelizardpeople]

This broke my heart. Just...the whole thing. The Jeremy video and his story. The nostalgia that song gives me. I used to cry in my teenage angst listening to that whole album lol. Great vid though rock n roll true stories 🥰

[dwade]

He was a part of such a monumental video and storyline. R.I.P. ❤️🤟

[elcarranza]

i go to the same school as jeremy and we share the same birthday odly. sad to see there’s no memorial for him here. there’s always been this wariness in the school and sometimes i think it’s jeremy saying hello. i wish i could give him a big hug. and yes the classroom is still here to this day. i wish more people knew suicide is never the answer

edit: i’m talking about the real jeremy who this song is based off of

[J.C...]

I know all about that horrible depression. No one told me my daughter passed away until after she was gone. And that's just a small part of it all.

8 yrs 3 months and 3 days later and the "horrible depression" still remains...

🥺💔

[UnderTheMillkyWay]

This is what drives me crazy about babies, children and even older teenager's being used in commercials, videos etc because we have no idea how that will affect them in life. What this young man accomplished by the 30 was pretty brilliant considering how many children are born that even take a similar path. It's very freaking few.

[vygalnix]

I am glad he lived a happy full life. I am sad it ended early.

[Prophetic_DMize]

I came really close to drowning once, and I can assure you there's not a damned thing peaceful about it.

[shermsmoke]

Your channel is like a modern version of Behind The Music. Keep doin the damn thang my boy!

[junkscorpion]

Stunning story I went to school with the real life Jeremy Wade the kid was decent to me and he did bullied alot thoughts and prayers to both guys.