After late actor Gary Coleman rose to fame on the sitcom “Diff’rent Strokes” and became one of the most popular child actors throughout the 1970s and ’80s, he found himself pigeonholed.
That was in part because he couldn’t escape his catchphrase — “What’chu talkin ‘bout, Willis?”
That line from the show followed him just about everywhere, as many friends attest in the new documentary “Gary.” And he despised it.
Due to a congenital kidney defect that led to lifelong health challenges, Coleman’s growth was stunted at 4 feet, 8 inches. The combination of his height and his strong association with the character of Arnold Jackson on “Diff’rent Strokes” made it hard for Coleman to break out beyond his role as a child star, according to the documentary, which recently started streaming on Peacock.
Coleman was 18 when “Diff’rent Strokes” got canceled, but subsequent roles Coleman landed generally didn’t allow for his character to mature.
And it’s something that affected Coleman his entire life.