Christopher Atkins says becoming a father gave him a reason to walk away from alcohol, and nearly four decades later, his grandchildren are giving him another reason to stay sober.
The former Hollywood heartthrob, who rose to fame opposite Brooke Shields in the 1980 film, “The Blue Lagoon,” opened up about the turning point that changed his life during an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital at Chiller Theatre Expo in New Jersey.
“I guess the turning point for me was having children, so I wanted to be a dad more than I wanted to be a drunk,” Atkins said.
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“So, I did that, cleaned up, coming up to 40 years, so still very active and wouldn’t change it for a minute.”
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The actor explained that his commitment to sobriety has taken on new meaning as his family has grown.
“Just when you think, okay, well they grew up [his children], they moved out, [I] got a divorce, now you’re by yourself, ‘I guess it’s okay to start drinking again,’” he said.
“No, they had grandkids, so now I don’t want my grandkids ever seeing their grandpa drunk, you know, so no.”
Atkins credited his children with helping him make a lasting change.
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“That’s a huge turning point, I think, in a lot of people’s lives, and certainly for me. So that saved me,” he said.
The actor shares two adult children, Grant and Brittney, with his former wife, Lyn Barron Weber, whom he married in 1985. The couple divorced in 2007.
Atkins previously spoke about how his drinking affected his Hollywood career, including an opportunity to star in the 1984 film “Footloose.”
During an appearance at Fanboy Expo Knoxville earlier this year, the actor said he had been considered for the lead role that ultimately went to Kevin Bacon, but was drinking heavily when he met with filmmakers.
“I was a mess back then,” Atkins said at the event, according to People magazine, as previously reported by Fox News Digital.
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He explained that his condition during the meeting cost him the opportunity.
Despite the setbacks he experienced early in his career, Atkins has continued to reflect on the unexpected fame that followed his breakout performance in “The Blue Lagoon.”
The actor told Fox News Digital this month that he never planned on pursuing a career in Hollywood.
“I never wanted to act,” he said.
Atkins explained that he entered the entertainment industry through modeling before attending an open casting call for “The Blue Lagoon.”
When the film became a massive success, he found himself adjusting to a level of attention he had never imagined.
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“There wasn’t a place on the planet I could go where I didn’t get recognized and people stopped me,” he recalled. “It was very, very, very weird.”
He added that the experience was difficult to comprehend at such a young age.
“It’s interesting if you try to think about what it’s like to have people you’ve never met all over the world know who you are and know things about you that you didn’t know.”
More than four decades after becoming a household name, Atkins has traded much of his Hollywood lifestyle for a quieter existence on the East Coast.
The New York native relocated from California to Connecticut after his two children settled in North Carolina and his family circumstances changed.
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“I’m an East Coast guy. You can’t take the East Coast out of the boy,” he said.
The actor explained that both his father and stepfather had died, while his mother was experiencing memory issues, making the move feel like the right decision.
Now, Atkins spends much of his time outdoors, enjoying fishing, hiking and woodworking.
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He said he has even developed an interest in creating pieces with wood and epoxy, initially as a hobby.
“I just like being outdoors, I like working with my hands,” he told Fox News Digital.
Atkins also has a new physical challenge in mind: hiking a lengthy stretch of the Appalachian Trail.
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“My goal is next year to do a leg of the Appalachian Trail, take a week or so and see if I can do 100 miles or 200 miles or something,” he said.
The actor acknowledged that decades of sports have taken a toll on his body.
He said he recently underwent shoulder replacement surgery, following an elbow replacement less than a year earlier. Atkins also described having a metal plate and artificial disc in his back, along with three previous knee operations.
Despite those physical challenges, he remains determined to stay active.
“I think staying physical and staying active is really important to keeping more metal out of your body,” he said.