Sean Astin recalls mother Patty Duke confronting crew to defend him

Sean Astin has recalled what he described as a "traumatic" experience from his teenage years after his late mother, Academy Award-winning actress Patty Duke, confronted a crew member who made a comment about his braces while he was filming.

The Lord of the Rings actor and current SAG-AFTRA president shared the story in an interview with The Guardian, reflecting on his upbringing as the son of one of Hollywood's best-known stars.

Astin suggested his mother wanted to give him a different childhood from the one she experienced.

"I think she wanted to rectify the pain and trauma of her childhood by raising a child who could have a similar experience absent that trauma," he said.

Astin began acting at the age of 10 in the television film Please Don't Hit Me, Mom before finding wider recognition at 14 with The Goonies.

During one production in his teenage years, Duke accompanied him to the set, where an incident left a lasting impression.

According to Astin, a crew member quietly remarked: "The kid's got f---ing marbles in his mouth."

He said he had not heard the comment himself, but Duke reacted immediately.

"My mom flipped out. Her upset was way more traumatic than me not having even heard this mildly disparaging thing that this guy had whispered to himself," Astin recalled.

He added that her response reflected her protective nature.

"That is the level of mama-bear protection that she had. She was only 4 feet 11 inches, but she scared the s--- out of people," he joked.

Duke, who died in 2016 at the age of 69, enjoyed a distinguished career after beginning as a child actor in commercials and soap operas.

Following Duke's death, Astin remembered his mother for the "infinite love and compassion she shared through her work and throughout her life."