MovieChat Forums > Diff'rent Strokes (1978) Discussion > Arnold Became Such a Jerk...

Arnold Became Such a Jerk...

posted 10 years ago by ItsEddieHaskellBeyotch
17 replies | jump to latest

In the first few seasons Arnold was a friendly nice kid who was abit smarter than his age and for his own good at times but sometime around before Sam and Maggie came around and especially after, he became so jerky to everybody and altogether loathesome. Arnold was always rolling his eyes and folding his arms and seemed generally irritated by everybody in those last couple years. Thank goodness the show didnt last any longer than it did.

'When there's no more room in Hollywood, remakes shall walk the Earth.'

[–] Camelot_2000 10 years ago

Gary Coleman apparently got tired of the show and wanted it to end a couple of years early, but it kept getting renewed for a new season. I guess his attitude about it started to show in his performance. The show had run out of steam during the last two seasons along with sagging ratings. It should have ended when Gary wanted it to.

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[–] ItsEddieHaskellBeyotch 10 years ago

"I guess his attitude about it started to show in his performance."

Totally did, especially when all he would do in those later episodes was fold his arms and roll his eyes, my friends and I made a drinking game over it.

'When there's no more room in Hollywood, remakes shall walk the Earth.'

[–] AgentSparkyX 10 years ago

I think Arnold might have been too traumatized by his encounter with Mr Horton. That could have played into the change of Arnold's behavior changing negatively during the remainder of the series.

[–] andromache3 10 years ago

Your obsession with Mr Horton is just plain creepy.

Don't let anyone ever make you feel like you don't deserve what you want.

[–] corinnacarpenter 10 years ago

Your name is hilarious.

You and your buddies must have passed out on the floor.

[–] AgentSparkyX 9 years ago

His encounter with Mr Horton must have really scarred Arnold and made him bitter.

[–] TMC-4 9 years ago

I wonder if Gary Coleman was becoming more miserable the longer Diff'rent Strokes was on the air considering his health problems and his meddling parents. According to Todd Bridges, Gary's parents didn't seem to care much for his well-being, making him work long hours while he was sick.

[–] TMC-4 10 years ago

http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=318742

[–] stevenackerman69 10 years ago

I don't think he became a jerk. He was getting older so obviously he was finding interests that teens get.

[–] 10 years ago

[deleted]

[–] jdchisholm 9 years ago

I did think it was funny when Arnold started teasing Sam and he said to him, "Did you bring your play pen with you."

[–] jefgg 7 years ago

Wasn't Arnold also very bossy with Sam?

[–] DusterJ79 7 years ago

I saw an interview with Gary Coleman, he was very unhappy the last few seasons of Different Strokes, he was older, but because he was small, people still felt the need to carry him around and treat him like a child...

That part aside he just wanted the show over, to move onto other things.> I think if 2010 Gary Coleman could talk with Gary Coleman before the show went off the air, he'd tell him to not be angry and enjoy it because once the show ends you're life's going into the crapper..

[–] pioneergrrrl (2389) 3 years ago

Unfortunately people do not have crystal balls. I am sure Coleman would have stuck with it and milked it for all he could have if he could have seen the future.

[–] WickedStorm (405) 3 years ago

Imagine knowing you are never going to grow.

I went to school with a kid somewhat like him. I think he stopped growing around 4th grade (I had transferred to that school middle of fourth grade, and he already seemed smaller than everyone else) and he was always very bitter and nasty towards people. I remember at one point riding the same bus as him to high school (even though we went to two different schools) and he was nasty then.

So maybe Gary's real life issues transferred to the character.

[–] Mustang (5226) 2 years ago

Arnold never progressed as a character. He would have been in his early teens in the later seasons yet to the best of my memory you never see him take on any interests. He was still the same for the most part and then they brought in that annoying kid to try and make up for Arnold not being a child anymore.

[–] PumpkinLumpkin (71) 2 years ago

They never let Arnold character grow up. Gary Coleman was getting older but the writing for him wasn't. The writers wanted to forever preserve him as the sassy cute chubby cheek kid from the earlier days of the show. Puberty wasn't kind to Coleman. By those dreadful last two seasons he looked like a haggard 40 year old man. This is what happens, when your whole show is revolved around how a cute a child character is.