“I was a mess back then,” the actor, who is now nearly 40 years sober, said during a recent panel at the Fanboy Expo Knoxville

NEED TO KNOW

• Christopher Atkins said he lost the lead role in Footloose to Kevin Bacon because his drinking derailed an important meeting with the filmmakers
• The actor, now nearly 40 years sober, reflected on his career during a Fanboy Expo Knoxville panel in Tennessee
• Atkins also recalled how landing The Blue Lagoon at 18 unexpectedly launched him to overnight fame after initially dreaming of a baseball career

Christopher Atkins claimed he lost the lead role in 1984’s Footloose to Kevin Bacon due to his drinking habits at the time.

The former teen heartthrob reminisced about his career during a recent Q&A panel at the Fanboy Expo Knoxville in Tennessee, which celebrates pop culture, nostalgia, anime and comic books.

During the panel, the actor, 65, said the Footloose filmmakers wanted to meet with him before officially casting in the now-iconic film — but he wasn’t able to deliver.

“I was a mess back then. I was partying it up way too much, and they called me in,” the star recalled.

“I said … ‘I can’t go in right now. I’ve been drinking and carrying on.’ And they said, ‘No, they need to see you.’ And I went in and I just blew that audition … I mean, it wasn’t even an audition — I had the part, but I was so messed up that they said, ‘Yeah, we’re going to have to pass on this guy,” he said.

“And I’m almost 40 years sober, so there you go,” he added.

Atkins — who was just 18 years old when he was cast in his breakout role in 1980’s The Blue Lagoon — recalled how a career in Hollywood largely took him by surprise.

“I’d never done anything before. Never wanted to be an actor — only wanted to play baseball. That was my dream,” he said during the panel. 

“I ended up modeling for Ford modeling agency in New York City and auditioned for The Blue Lagoon … And I kept getting called back and called back and called back. And then [after] a couple months, I didn’t hear from them …  And then all of a sudden I got another call back,” he continued, adding that the filmmakers asked him to bring a “blond curly wig” to the final audition. 

Atkins ultimately landed the life-changing part — opposite teen superstar Brooke Shields — but said he knew almost nothing about the industry.

“I didn’t know what a camera looked like. I had no idea what a mark was, and I knew nothing. And I had to jump on an airplane and fly all the way to Fiji,” he explained.

The Dallas actor went on to say that his “whole life changed” after the movie’s release.

“We were young, and so you’re constantly getting this notoriety,” he recalled.

“And the magazines need you to sell their magazines, and you’re hot at that time. And so it does get overwhelming … There are times where you’re doing interviews and you have a line of people and you have to say the same thing to each person because they have the same question,” he said.

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“But it changes your life, because all of a sudden you’re nothing and then you’re on every single grocery store magazine,” Atkins added.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.

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