>He was compared to River after River's death because they
>look similar and were both talented young actors. I don't
>think anyone knew of Joaquin when River was alive either so
>it's not a case of him being the lesser brother. Joaquin found
>fame early and his siblings found it later. River was
>definitely a talented young actor but who knows how he
>would've turned out as an adult. He was more a peer of Johnny
>Depp's than Leo though. Him and Johnny were very close
>friends.

Thanks for the reply.

For whatever reason those Leo / River comparisons stuck out in my mind and not the age difference. (thanks MTV journalism) I think River's popularity among girls as a heartthrob made me dislike him, although I loved Stand By Me. (what can I say, I was 13.) But I also wasn't particularly into film during my junior high years when he passed.

Good point about River's age as he found fame. He could have gone on to have something like Leo's or Depp's career or he could have been Haley Joel Osment. It's next to impossible to project the adult careers of child actors.

Looking at his Wiki page he was definitely complex. It wouldn't have been out of the ordinary if he would have turned into a movie star or went out, joined Greenpeace, and never was seen in Hollywood again.