Matthew Broderick Reveals He Was ‘Mugged Often’ While Growing Up in NYC: ‘I Never Had Any Money!’

Matthew Broderick was often the victim of robberies when he was younger.

The Pain reliever the actor, 61, revealed on Tuesday’s episode of the iHeartPodcast A Table for Two with Bruce Bozzi that he was often mugged while growing up in Washington Square North, New York.

“I’ve been mugged a lot! I’ve been mugged all over the Village, Times Square, the Upper West Side,” he said. Ironically, he said, “I never had any money! And people kept wanting [to mug me].”

As for why he was always targeted, Broderick described it as “being a young guy.”

“I’m talking like 12 [years old] — it often happened back then, he said. “Mostly the other boys were just being bullies and getting lunch money or something. But it was a bit scary at times.”

The Ferris Bueller’s day off star recalled the time he and a friend were skateboarding in Central Park and a “huge gang came out” and stole their skateboards. “I was hit in the head with some kind of bat! It wasn’t a joke. Thank God, we all survived,” he added.

Matthew Broderick.

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However, Broderick insisted the times he was robbed “were not like that”, as they were “more terrifying” with the attackers telling him: “‘I’m going to put your head through the glass!'”

Another common scenario? “You get on the subway and someone will sit next to you and hug you quite aggressively and say, ‘What’s in your pocket?’ What’s your name?’ — like I’m asking you a lot of questions,” he explained. “[You’re] I’m just waiting, praying for the train to come out of the tunnel on the platform.”

Since these were regular occurrences for him growing up, Broderick said that “sometimes a police officer would come to our school and give us a speech [about] how to react properly when you are robbed.”

“He said, ‘Always carry money with you. Don’t go out penniless, give up now and try to do the experience as quickly as possible,’ Broderick recalled the officer’s advice. “‘The more time you haggle or argue, the more time you are in this situation, the worse it is.'”

“I always remembered that, so try to draw a conclusion. Even if the conclusion is your own death, do it as quickly as possible,” he joked.

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When asked if he ever comes home and tells his parents he’s been robbed, Broderick said he’s only done it “once or twice.” However, he said that “back then they were not as attentive as we are to our children [nowadays.]”

“They were like, ‘Go to the park and be in time for dinner.’ And that was it,” Broderick added.

Bozzi previously noted that the New York City where Broderick grew up was “different than it is now for your kids,” to which the actor agreed, “Yeah, it sure is.”

Broderick has three children — son James Wilkie, 20, and twin daughters, Tabitha Hodge and Marion Loretta Elwell, 14 — with Sarah Jessica Parker. The couple had their first child a few years after they married in May 1997 after five years of dating.

atthew Broderick, Sarah Jessica Parker, Tabitha Hodge Broderick, James Wilkie Broderick and Marion Loretta Elwell Broderick.

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During an appearance on SiriusXM The Howard Stern Show last month, And just like that… star, 58, opened up about her 26-year marriage to Broderick and how they’ve rarely spent time apart since they first dated in 1992.

At the time, the shoe designer said that she and her husband “have not spent a single night apart since then.” [that date]with the exception of working on location, or his mother was sick for a while and he went to take care of her, but from that first night we were never apart.”

Parker also listed many of the qualities that most attracted her No anger actor, as well as his unique flaws like riding a courier bike without brakes and holding up a bus.

“I really liked his personality. He’s so smart, he’s so funny, I love this choice of friends, the way he lived in New York, what was important to him, how he traveled around the city,” she said. “Really smart and really talented and he was, I thought, so beautiful and handsome and charming.”

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Source: HIS Education