Matthew Broderick often found himself the target of criminals when he was younger.
During an appearance Tuesday on the iHeartPodcast "Table for Two" with Bruce Bozzi, the actor, 61, revealed that he was frequently mugged while growing up on Washington Square North in New York City.
"I got mugged often! I've been mugged all through the Village, Times Square, Upper West Side," he shared, adding "I never had any money! And people constantly wanted [to mug me]."
Broderick said he believed he was targeted because he was "a young guy."
"I'm talking like 12 [years old] — that's when it happened a lot," he said. "It was mostly other boys just being bullies and getting lunch money or something like that. But sometimes it was somewhat scary."
Recalling one specific incident, the "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" star said he and a friend were skateboarding in Central Park when a "massive gang came flying out" and stole their skateboards.
"I got whacked in the head with some sort of stick! It was not a joke. Thank God, we all survived it," he said.
Other incidents were "more intimidating" with assailants telling him, "I'm gonna put your head through the glass!"
Broderick also recounted a common scenario he experienced.
"You get on the subway and somebody will sit next to you and put their arm around you rather aggressively and say, 'What's in your pocket? What's your name?' — just be like asking you a lot of questions," he explained. "[You're] just waiting, praying for the train to come out of the tunnel on the platform."
According to Broderick, the muggings were such a regular occurrence that police would go to his school to give talks on crime and "how to react properly when you're being mugged."
One police officer even advised students to keep money on them to safeguard themselves from violence.
"Don't go out with no money, and immediately give it up and try to make the experience as fast as possible," Broderick recalled of the officer's advice. "The more time you're haggling or discussing, the more time you're in this situation, the worse."
"I always remembered that, so try to reach a conclusion. Even if the conclusion is your own death, do it as quickly as possible," he added jokingly.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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