Kiefer Sutherland confronts bullying claims by Stand by Me co-star in tense reunion

Kiefer Sutherland has shut down claims that he 'bullied' the cast of Stand by Me.

The actor, 57, was discussing the 1986 movie during a recent episode of The Talk, which is co-hosted by fellow Stand by Me star Jerry O'Connell.

During the chat, Natalie Morales asked Sutherland if it was true that he 'often picked on' the cast.

"True or not true?" she asked, laughing. "Did you bully Jerry O'Connell?"

And Sutherland was clear in his response, explaining that he isn't and was never that kind of person.

“Absolutely not true,” he said.

“First of all, I’m not that kind of actor and I wouldn’t want to be that kind of person. I spent a lot of time with River Phoenix because we both played guitar, and so that was kind of an in to him.

"Even though I was seven years older, we were both beginning, right? And so there was a lot of discussion about ‘How do you develop a character? What is your process?'”

Sutherland also said that he didn't actually get to spend much time with the rest of the cast.

“I think one of the things that’s been frustrating for me when I think about Stand by Me is they always ask me what everybody else was like... We really only had the one big scene at the end where Wil Wheaton pulls the gun and I had to run away like a girl,” he said.

Reiterating what Sutherland said, O'Connell explained: “Now, I will say that Kiefer did not bully us, there was no bullying. But Kiefer, I was so scared of you."

The pair didn't see each other for around 10 years, with Sutherland explaining he ran into O'Connell and he didn't even recognise her.

“Someone said, ‘Oh, you should go say hi, that’s Jerry O’Connell.’ And I said, ‘No it’s not.’ We said hello and I gave you a big hug and then I walked away and looked at my friend and went, ‘Wow, he’s got a lot better trainer than I do',” he joked.

Stand by Me was an American coming-of-age movie based on Stephen King's 1982 novel, The Body.

It tells the story of four boys, who learn that a stranger has been killed nearby where they live.

They decide to go looking for the body, but the adventure ends up becoming a pivotal event in their lives.

It stars Wil Wheaton, Jerry O'Connell, River Phoenix and Teddy Duchamp, and many still consider the film to be the best King adaptation ever made.