Sean Penn actually based Jeff Spicoli from “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” on a real guy. And he recently ran into him for the first time since they were kids. They passed each other on a trail to the beach.
And apparently he’s NOT the same dude. Sean says he, “spoke in this very articulate way. I couldn’t believe it was him.” Sean claims the guy never knew he was the inspiration for Spicoli, but now that it’s public he may find out.
(You can watch the interview here. “Fast Times” talk is 0:19 to 2:50.)
