The Oscar-winning 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' actor, 52, fondly recalled his time shooting the 1985 adventure romp after starring opposite Harrison Ford, 82, in 1984's 'Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom' when he was 12 years old.
He told Dax Shepard's 'Armchair Expert' podcast: "It was a very different experience going from 'Indy' to 'The Goonies'".
"I got all the attention, all the love (because I was the only kid on the set of 'Indy'.)".
"All of a sudden, I walk on 'The Goonies' set (and) I was with six other kids".
"And they all knew what they were doing, even though it was their first movie. "Like, Sean Astin grew up in a movie family. Josh (Brolin) grew up in a movie family. Jeff Cohen was so awesome and cute, and he was a ham".
"And Corey Feldman was a pro already. And they all knew how to look the best in front of the camera, how to say the lines, how to hit the marks".
"This was only my second (film.) Now I have to fight for attention, which is something I was very familiar with because I grew up in a big family".
He added the fun of the film was a reflection of the light-heartedness on set, especially when making its pirate ship finale.
The actor went on: "Oh my gosh. It was incredible. One day, we're walking on the pirate ship, the next day, we're going down a water slide".
"I mean, it was like a kid's dream".
"We were like a big family. So as with any other family, there was a lot of fighting, there was a lot of love, there was a lot of making fun of, laughter. We had all of that".
The star added he came to view Josh, now 56, as "like the older brother" to the younger cast members and said he's also remained close with Jeff Cohen, 50, who played Chunk in the film and went on to become an entertainment lawyer".
He said: "He's my lawyer. We're best friends. We see each other all the time".
The actor scooped his 2023 Academy Award win for his supporting role in 'Everything Everywhere All at Once'.