Heathers, Broken Arrow, True Romance
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“I grew up in this business; it’s a difficult foundation to start off from. Success can be a very difficult thing to deal with.” While Christian Slater was in the entertainment business since he was a child, he attained icon status with a string popular movies in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Not only did Slater look and sound a lot like Jack Nicholson; he also acted like him -- which led to problems for the actor along with a reputation as a Hollywood bad boy.
While Christian Slater made headlines for his professional and personal life throughout his 40-plus year career, he’s embraced a tamer -- and more fulfilling, as it turns out -- lifestyle in recent years. Here’s a closer look at the fascinating journey of this iconic actor.
Born to Entertain
Christian Michael Leonard Slater was born on August 18, 1969 in New York City. To say he was born into show business is an understatement. “My father was an actor and my mother was his agent, so I had it on both sides, the crazy actor and his representation,” he told Interview in 2015.
As a child, Slater used to beg his father to bring him to his performances, and would often watch his plays from the wings. Recalling those times the actor said, “Theater was definitely part of my roots.” It wasn’t long before Christian himself took up acting. His first gig? A Pampers commercial.
By the time Slater was eight, his mother was a casting director, and hooked him up with parts on the soap opera One Life to Live. After delivering his three lines to studio applause, Slater was hooked. “I was like, ‘This is the life for me,” he said.
One of Slater’s next jobs was a stint with a touring production of The Music Man. He had fond memories of his time on the road, as well as bittersweet recollections of the end of its nine-month run. “The hardest part was when it came to an end, you know? You develop a family with everybody who’s been through this experience, and when it’s done, it’s over. I was 9, 10, and I didn’t really understand that these things come to an end. It was heartbreaking,” Slater revealed.
Slater went on to star in many Broadway shows, including Copperfield, Merlin, Macbeth, Side Man and The Glass Menagerie. Roles in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Swimming with the Sharks, meanwhile, brought him to London’s West End.
Next stop for Slater? Hollywood. His debut film role was a small part in The Postman Always Rings Twice followed by the larger role of Binx Davey in The Legend of Billie Jean. After his family moved to Los Angeles when Slater was in his teens, he dropped out of high school to pursue his dreams of becoming an actor. It was a risk that paid off: At 16, he landed a part in the 1986 Sean Connery movie, The Name of the Rose. A series of movies followed in the late 1980s, including Tucker, Gleaming the Cube, and Beyond the Stars.
Then came a role which would become a turning point in the actor's trajectory: sociopathic teen Jason “J.D.” Dean in the cult classic Heathers alongside Winona Ryder. Slater later said of the movie’s impact on his career, “Heathers was probably the first time when I started to notice that people were opening doors for me and giving me tables at restaurants, regardless of what I was wearing. A whole world opened up to me that was shocking and weird and different, and I enjoyed it and, you know, I took great advantage of it at times.”
Life After Heathers
Heathers lead to a glut of roles for Slater in the 1990s, including Pump Up the Volume; Young Guns II; Interview with the Vampire: Broken Arrow; Hard Rain; Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country; Mobsters; Kuffs; Untamed Heart; Bed of Roses; and Very Bad Things. Slater also took up producing and co-producing a handful of his movies.
A few especially noteworthy parts that came his way? Will Scarlett in 1991's massively successful Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, which co-starred Kevin Costner, Morgan Freeman and Alan Rickman. With this blockbuster hit, Slater became one of the era’s major A-list stars.
Playing Clarence Worley in Quentin Tarantino’s True Romance was another career-making moment for Slater. Raved Roger Ebert of the film and Slater’s performance, “The energy and style of the movie are exhilarating. Christian Slater has the kind of cocky recklessness the movie needs.”
More recently, Slater has appeared in the films Bobby, Nymphomaniac, The Wife and The Public.
Slater’s signature voice has also been sought-after for animated films, and his voice-over credits include FernGully: The Last Rainforest; The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius; The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy; Archer; and The Lion Guard.
In addition to working in film, Slater became a familiar face on television, appearing on shows including The West Wing, Alias, Breaking In, My Own Worst Enemy, The Forgotten, and Mind Games. He enjoyed a comeback in 2015 playing the titular character on USA Network’s critically acclaimed television series, Mr. Robot. Slater won the Golden Globe Award for “Best Supporting Actor -- Series, Miniseries or Television Film” for his work on the show in 2016, and was nominated for the same honor in 2017 and 2018. “After having so many experiences that didn't come together the way I might have liked them to, I know how rare it is for all the elements to unite,” he told The Guardian of the show’s success.
Slater also recently returned to the West End to take the role of Richard Roma at the Playhouse Theater’s 2017-2018 production of Glengarry Glen Ross.
Like many child stars, Slater had his struggles with substance abuse and the legal problems associated with it. He eventually underwent treatment and embraced recovery. “Work is my hobby, staying sober is my job,” he's said.
Slater prevailed despite these obstacles. Over the course of his career, he won numerous awards in addition to his Golden Globe. These included MTV Movie Awards for Untamed Heart and True Romance; Saturn Awards for True Romance and Mr. Robot; a Slate Award for Very Bad Things; and Critics’ Choice Awards for The Contender and Mr. Robot.
In addition to acting and producing, Slater is also known for giving back. He has support a number of causes, including 21st Century Leaders, Global Green, and Whatever It Takes. Slater has also promoted humanitarian work in South Africa, and appeared in an educational video aimed at raising AIDS awareness.
According to a 2016 GQ interview with the actor, Slater has let go of the dark demons of his past and found peace as he's grown older. In choosing the tamer Wonder Wheel ride over the extreme Cyclone during a trip to Coney Island, the actor drew a comparison to his personal life. “We can choose to get on this lovely Ferris wheel, have a nice relaxing ride, get in the stable car, enjoy the view, have a nice conversation -- or we could have chosen to be wild and crazy and gotten on the Cyclone. I've done that. I've ridden the Cyclone,” he said.
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