Sometimes help doesn’t arrive with a press release. Sometimes it shows up as Sean Astin, standing there, trying to connect. Just this month, concerns around former child actor Tylor Chase, now 32, hit a boiling point after videos surfaced of him living on the streets of Southern California. The clips spread fast. Fans worried. Former co-stars stepped in. Still, nothing felt settled. Now, a new video shows The Lord of the Rings star Sean Astin sitting alongside Tylor Chase – talking to him while he eats.
Over the last few weeks, Chase has been all over the internet. Police confirmed the former child star declined housing assistance and said they couldn’t say how long he’d been unhoused, a claim Chase disputes. That stalemate has frustrated people trying to help him, especially those who’ve been there before.
Now Sean Astin – The Goonies, Lord of the Rings, Stranger Things and president of the Screen Actors Guild – is trying to help. According to Chase’s Ned’s Declassified co-star Daniel Curtis Lee, Astin reached out after hearing about the situation. Chase happens to be a huge Lord of the Rings fan, and Astin hoped meeting a hero might cut through where systems failed.
On Christmas Day, Lee spoke to Chase over FaceTime. Chase talked about meeting Astin and sounded genuinely moved. “So glad he got to meet him,” Lee said.
Lee hasn’t waited around for someone else to act. He’s bought the former Nickelodeon star food, met up with him, tried arranging medical care, and even paid for a temporary hotel stay. Others have stepped in too, including former Mighty Ducks actor Shaun Weiss, who shared his own frustration after attempts to help Chase stalled.
“Tylor has to want to go to treatment. All the resources are available to him. It’s very frustrating because there is no system in place to help people like this. Our only option now is to what, watch him wither away on the street? Jake – who everyone knows has made it his life’s purpose to watch over Tylor and make sure nothing happens to him on the street – has been out for the last week keeping an eye on him. He contacted a mental health crisis team, they did an evaluation on Tylor, they agreed that he needed help. They took him away in an ambulance and he was supposed to be kept for a few days. They did not keep him, they released him in the middle of the night.”
Chase was hospitalised last week and placed on an involuntary 72-hour hold, which offered brief relief but no lasting fix. Reports also claim he’s struggled with meth addiction, though progress depends on consent, not concern.
Astin showing up doesn’t solve everything. It does remind you that sometimes dignity starts with someone treating you like you still matter.
TMZ reached out to Sean Astin. According to the publication, he hasn’t responded yet.
Update: A video has surfaced on Facebook, showing Sean Astin sitting alongside Tylor Chase.
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