Corey Feldman says River Phoenix helped him become a man by teaching him to go vegetarian.

The 52-year-old actor starred alongside the late star – killed by a drug overdose aged 23 in 1993 – in the 1986 film ‘Stand By Me’ and said it was while on set River and his family taught him about giving up meat, which he considers one of his biggest coming-of-age moments.

Corey told the Gold Derby site: “Having the influence of River and his family helped (me become a vegetarian.)

“Going and being on my own, away from my grandparents, away from my parents, I was able to instill those idealisms and put them in play.

“I choose to become a vegetarian and that’s my first adult decision.

“That was a coming of age for me. That moment in time was very powerful for all of us.”

River grew up with his siblings – including Oscar-winner Joaquin Phoenix, 49 – along with members of the Children of God cult and they made cash by fruit picking and doing odd jobs.

He told Vegetarian Times in 1998 about ditching meat aged seven: “On the boat we saw men fishing. It was our first time seeing that.

“And it was the first time that I really saw that meat wasn’t just a hamburger or hot dog or some disguised food on your plate, that it was an animal, it was flesh.

“It seemed very barbaric and kind of cruel, and me and my brother and sister were all crying and were traumatised. The reality just hit us so hard.

“Our parents were very sensitive to our feelings. I mean, they were obviously immune to it themselves – meat eating is so much a part of society as a whole and how people eat-but they were very interested in our sensitivity to it, so they were open to us becoming vegetarian.”

River added about then going vegan: “It was hard to give up dairy for a while for a lot of people in my family.

“My mom and dad were so used to eating cheese, and it was so convenient. But I said, ‘Hey, if we’re doing this thing, let’s go all the way with it.’

“The other kids were into it, so my parents said, 'OK, let’s do it.’ And we did.”