Todd Bridges believes Gary Coleman could have been spared the pitfalls of child stardom if he hadn’t been forced to earn a living.

“This is what happens when people get greedy,” Coleman’s “Diff’rent Strokes” co-star told Fox News Digital. “They tend to just take money … and steal things. We’ve all lost money to some people.”

Todd Bridges as Willis Jackson (left) and Gary Coleman as Arnold Jackson (Herb Ball/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)

“The only thing that’s different in my life is that I made it. I’m still here. I’m working and doing other things. … As for (co-star) Dana (Plato) and Gary, unfortunately they’re both not here. … As for Gary’s situation, I just think he was with the wrong people.”

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Coleman, who entertained audiences on the hit ’70s sitcom, died in 2010 at the age of 42. The late actor is the subject of a new documentary on Peacock, “Gary,” which details his rise to stardom and the difficulties he endured in the spotlight, as well as the circumstances of his death.

The special includes new interviews with Bridges, former managers, Coleman’s estranged parents and his ex-wife Shannon Price.

“This is what happens when people get greedy. They tend to just take money… and steal things. We’ve all lost money to some people.”

— Todd Bridges

Gary Coleman is the subject of a new documentary called “Gary.” (Herb Ball/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)

“It’s very important to talk about Gary Coleman,” said Bridges, 59. “People need to know who he really was. He was a good guy. People need to know that.”

“Diff’rent Strokes” first aired on NBC in 1978, and most of the laughs came from Coleman, then a ten-year-old with perfect comedic timing.

He played Arnold Jackson, the younger of two African-American brothers adopted by a wealthy white man. The show explored race and class relations as well as the typical problems of growing up. Jackson’s catchphrase – “What are you talking about?” – would haunt Coleman for the rest of his life.

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Conrad Bain (centre) played Philip Drummond in the successful sitcom of the 1970s. The series ended in 1986. (Herb Ball/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)

“When I first met Gary, I thought he was a really smart kid,” Bridges recalled. “I didn’t know what to make of it. … I think he grew up around adults, so it was very different for him. I grew up around other kids. But I enjoyed being around him.”

Todd Bridges talks about his friendship with Gary Coleman. (Peacock/Raw TV Ltd)

“I just think back to when Gary was with me and Dana,” Bridges said. “We were playing jump rope and Gary tried to jump over the rope, but he couldn’t make it. He fell. We all started laughing, including Gary.”

Making the show happen wasn’t always a fun affair. In the documentary, Bridges claimed that Coleman was forced by his father to continue working because he was ill.

Gary Coleman (right) poses for a portrait with his co-stars Dana Plato and Todd Bridges during his studies on set. (Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

“I wasn’t happy (to see that),” Bridges said. “I knew he was sick. He should have had the opportunity to rest after the season. Those seasons are not like the seasons today.”

Coleman’s short stature added to his charm as a child star, but it was due to a serious health problem: kidney failure. He received his first of at least two transplants at age five and had to undergo dialysis. Even as an adult, he was only 4 feet 6 inches tall.

“Nowadays, you do eight shows and that’s it. … We didn’t do that,” Bridges said. “He did it for nine months. So he started doing movies and stuff even though he was sick. … Parents shouldn’t do that.”

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Willie Coleman, Gary Coleman’s father, denied the allegations in the documentary. (Peacock/Raw TV Ltd)

Coleman’s parents, Sue and Willie Coleman, denied the allegations in the documentary.

But during Coleman’s lifetime, he felt he was being taken advantage of. In 1989, he sued his parents and his former manager, the New York Times reported. According to the newspaper, he accused them of embezzling his trust funds.

This year, Sue filed a petition with the court seeking control of her son’s $6 million estate, arguing that the 21-year-old was unable to manage his affairs. Coleman said the move “obviously stems from her frustration at not being able to control my life.”

At the time of his death, Gary Coleman was at odds with his mother, Sue Coleman. (Peacock/Raw TV Ltd)

In 1999, Coleman filed for bankruptcy, the media reported.

At the time of his death, Sue said she wanted to reconcile with him and had been waiting patiently for her son to be ready, The Associated Press reported.

Coleman was the highest-paid child actor on television in the 1970s and 1980s. As an adult, however, he was plagued by legal, financial and health problems. Although he appeared on television and landed small roles over the years, he remained in the shadow of his old popularity. For a time, he worked as a security guard.

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As an adult, Gary Coleman tried to revive his career. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Coleman would not be the only one struggling with the so-called “curse” of “different strokes.”

In 1989, Bridges was acquitted of attempted murder of a drug dealer. The then 24-year-old said he became depressed and turned to drugs after “Diff’rent Strokes” was canceled. In his 2010 memoir, Bridges said he was molested by a publicist and family friend at age 11.

Plato, who played the boys’ white sister, pleaded guilty to robbery in 1991. She died in 1999 of an overdose of painkillers and muscle relaxants. The coroner classified the 34-year-old’s death as a suicide.

Dana Plato died in 1999. She was 34. (Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)

“I was 24, 25 when I realized I needed help,” Bridges said of his battle with addiction. “I remember in the beginning, when I was getting in trouble and having my problems, Gary didn’t want to talk to me. And then when he started getting in trouble, I called him and talked to him. He was like, ‘Why do you want to talk to me?’ I remember saying to Gary, ‘Because I’m your brother, man. These things happen. It’s OK. You’re going to get out of this.’

Gary Coleman, seen here in this 2010 mug shot, got into legal trouble. (Cyprus/Getty Images)

“And Dana was such a bright spot,” he added. “She was such a spark. I was really sad when that happened to her.”

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Todd Bridges struggled with addiction after “Diff’rent Strokes”. (Getty Images)

After “Diff’rent Strokes,” bets were made on which of the three child stars would die first, the documentary revealed. Bridges said he wanted to prove his critics “totally wrong.”

Coleman attempted to revive his career, but was plagued by legal disputes. In 2005, he moved to Utah.

In September 2008, an altercation with a fan at a bowling alley in Utah led Coleman to plead guilty to disorderly conduct. The lawsuit was settled out of court.

In early 2010, police officers were called to help or intervene with Coleman more than 20 times. Some of the disputes involved his wife, whom he met on the set of the comedy “Church Ball” in 2006 and married in 2007.

Shannon Price, Gary Coleman’s ex-wife, spoke out in the documentary. (Peacock/Raw TV Ltd)

In 2010, Coleman suffered a brain hemorrhage after a fall. Two days after the accident, life support was stopped, the documentary says.

Bridges, who has been sober for over 31 years, founded a foundation to help other addicts, the Society of Evidence-Based Addiction Treatment. He also voices one of the characters in the upcoming animated series “Everybody Still Hates Chris.”

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Todd Bridges and his wife are launching a podcast called “Dang!” in November, which is all about “staying on the road to sobriety.” (Peacock/Raw TV Ltd)

He was convinced that his Christian faith gave him stability in Hollywood.

“When I’m going through something, I turn to God and then things change in my life,” he said. “I trust to believe in Him. People ask me why. I tell them I’ve experienced situations in my life where I knew He was real.”

Looking back, Bridges said they had learned a lot.

A young Todd Bridges as Willis Jackson. (Gary Null/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)

“I always tell people this: For every child actor who does something wrong, I can name you ten who don’t,” he said. “I can’t blame that on the child actors. It’s just certain people. … We have to be careful of sex offenders. They’re there and they’re waiting.”