Oskar aka David Bennent

So after watching the Tin Drum, I was very curious to find out exactly what happened to David Bennent, the 13 year old actor who played Oskar. He was, according to his birthday on the internet movie database, exactly 13 years old when he starred in 'The Tin Drum' and somehow was approved to do many of the sexually mature scenes. Special precautions were taken so that he did not actually do anything inappropriate, but after watching him "go down" on Maria twice.... it is hard to imagine how they filmed that without affecting him in some way. But the director Volkon Schlondorf wanted a unique perspective to the adaptation of Gunter Grass' novel, and felt that by using a child actor the audience will at some level sympathize with Oskar. If he used a dwarf, the audience were less likely to see his "innocent" side considering that Oskar is actually very evil sometimes. By using David Bennent he almost ensures that the audience will see Oskar as a child who refuses to grow.... which is exactly they condition the actor David Bennent suffered from. Though he was young when he filmed this movie, he actually has an arrested development condition, so his facial features develop faster than the rest of his body. Below is a picture of David Bennent in his older years. He is very busy in theatre and a few films lately mostly for european releases. You can spot him straight away from the picture, he still has Oskar's unmistakable glare.... and as an added comment; Doesn't he remind you of Frankie Muniz from "Malcolm in the Middle?"