I’m watching Apt Pupil and I am really struck by what a tremendous talent Renfro had and how sad it is that he died in his prime. He really does an amazing job of portraying a psychologically disturbed boy who gets his thrills by befriending a retired Nazi and then manipulating him and forcing him to re-live his past for his own perverse amusement, all the while threatening to turn him in to the authorities for his war crimes. The character is such an evil, twisted, weasely kid, and Renfro really makes him seem realistic. His acting is top-notch. He is also great in Bully, playing another deeply troubled young man who plans the murder of his sadistic and abusive best friend (based on an actual incident.)
Maybe it was because his own life was so fucked up that he was able to play such tormented characters. He struggled with drug addiction his whole life. His death by heroin and morphine overdose was ruled accidental, though I fail to see how they could be certain that it was not a suicide. In any case, it’s too bad he had to go so young. I think he could have gone on to great things if he had been able to turn his life around.