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Early in his career actor Christian Slater was often compared to Jack Nicholson, but he soon broke free of that unintended shadow and became a star in his own right. Acting since he was 9, he experienced sudden fame after the release of "Heathers" in 1988. But with fame came trouble and as a young man he had several run-ins with the law. Since turning 40 last month, those are distant memories. Slater has been married and divorced, and he has two children. He stars in ABC's new crime drama "The Forgotten," which premieres at 10 p.m. tomorrow.
Does turning 40 stir up any regrets or resolutions?
See the Well, let's see, I think it just stirs up, you know. You live long enough, you have experiences, you do the journey and hopefully by the time you get to 40 you are a little bit wiser. Obviously it's a reflective time. I was thinking I no longer want to be identified with what it is I do for a living but how I behave as a man.
You've already been through a lot. Do you think you might be immune to the midlife crisis syndrome?
We'll see. It would be nice to be immune to something.
Were you at all reluctant to get involved in another crime drama because there are so many on TV now?
Sure. I mean when I read the script and saw the character I did feel emotionally connected to this guy, Alex Donovan. I like the premise of the show. I thought it was very interesting, and I do like crime story types of shows and books. I read my kids Nancy Drew every night. They get a great kick out of that. I try to read them three chapters, and it's fun to see how they deal with the cliffhangers. People love crime stories and these kinds of shows. This one is a little different in the fact that these people aren't experts by any means. They are kind of volunteers who are doing this for their own personal reasons and to heal whatever wounds they have within themselves. They are all trying to fill a particular void they have within themselves.
I'm wondering what your emotional connection to the character of Alex was when you read the script?
He's a guy who has gone through something that is extraordinarily difficult. I've never gone through anything as quite as extreme as he's gone through. I mean his daughter was kidnapped at the age of 8. She's always on his mind. Every time he gets involved with one of the cases he's looking for either some answers to his own situation, or the opportunity to give closure to the other families he's dealing with. Closure he's been unable to find himself.
In real life you've had your share of difficulties with the law. Do you look back and think you gained something from those experiences?
Yeah, I mean truthfully, it was so long ago it's not necessarily a relevant issue in my life today. So I don't look at those experiences and incorporate them in my everyday life.
You have been involved in charity work. What got you into it?
I went to Africa about three years ago with my son, and we had a great trip there. I put together sort of a little home movie while I was there staying at the resort Ulusaba (Sir Richard Branson's private game reserve). The people from Virgin Unit were there as well. They looked at my video, and they wanted to put something together. So we ended up putting a DVD together and selling it to raise money for a local village there called Justicia Village. We ended up building a creche, or a school, for about 60 kids there. I just went back this summer and saw the school and the kids, and it was fantastic.
It was just an organic development from that trip.
Yeah, yeah. It all kind of had a phenomenal flow to it. It's kind of weird how life goes. The same thing with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. They have a thing called "Get Schooled," which they asked me to get involved with because you know about a million students every year drop out of high school. That's my experience. I was working as a kid, and I dropped out of high school and when I had children my priorities kind of shifted and I realized I would want them to get a full, complete, thorough education. I knew I would lose the argument with them if I didn't take some kind of action. So at the age of 30, I went and got my GED. I sat in the classroom with a bunch of kids. So that was a good experience. They heard about that and asked me to become an education ambassador. So you never know how the choices you make are going to affect your future.
You come from a show business family, did you ever rebel against the idea of going into the family business?
Not really. I remember being 5 years old and really begging my father to take me to the theater. I just got a kick out of watching him on stage and seeing what he was doing and performing in front of an audience. It just looked like a great deal of fun. Again, organically, I fell into it as well.
Did knowing what goes on behind the scenes ruin the magic of the movies for you when you were young?
No, not really. It's fun to know how movies are made. ... You know it's a hilarious business, and the people you meet are very funny and creative and charismatic. I had the fortunate experience, like you said, growing up in a show business type of family. I got a good sense and a good vibe of what was required and what the job was.
Were you not prepared for the fame after "Heathers"?
I mean emotionally probably not. I didn't know what to make of it. That's part of the process I guess of learning and developing some humility. I think the fastest way to know who you are is to first figure out who you are not.
What's your perception of yourself? Do you see yourself as a leading man?
Gosh, I mean I see myself as a guy who just turned 40, got two kids and doing his best as a dad, and trying to give his kids the best possible life that he can provide for them. And having a good time while he's doing it.
Mackenzie Carpenter's video program, "Omnivore," is available exclusively at PG+, a members-only web site of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.
