Blue Lagoon star about his career: "I didn't want to be an actor. Baseball was my dream"

Christopher Atkins, best known for his role in the controversial 1980 film The Blue Lagoon, recently reflected on his long career during a recent appearance at the Fanboy Expo Knoxville in Tennessee. The event celebrates pop culture and nostalgia, providing a platform for celebrities and fans alike to revisit iconic moments from cinema history. During his visit, Atkins spoke candidly about his journey through Hollywood, including the challenges he faced early in his career and decisions that shaped his path away from acting. Atkins revealed that his struggles with alcoholism cost him a major role in the classic 1984 musical Footloose. According to reports, the filmmakers had initially wanted to meet with him before finalizing their casting choices. However, Atkins did not make a favorable impression at the time. “I was in chaos,” he admitted. “I was having too much fun, and they called me. I said, ‘I can’t come in now. I’ve been drinking and behaving badly.’ They responded, ‘No, you need to see them.’ I went and just completely botched the audition… It wasn’t even really an audition, it was a role, but I behaved so poorly that they said, ‘Yeah, we have to give up on this guy.’ Today I’m almost 40 years sober.” Atkins also shared insights into how he came to take on one of his most famous roles. At just 18 years old, he landed the part in The Blue Lagoon alongside Brooke Shields, who was 14 at the time. He described being unprepared for the demands of acting, stating, “I had never done anything before. I didn’t want to be an actor, I just wanted to play baseball. That was my dream. I didn’t know what a camera looked like. I didn’t even know what a mark on the set was. I didn’t know anything.” After receiving the role, his life changed dramatically following the release of Dallas, which brought him widespread attention. He recalled the pressure of sudden fame, saying, “We were young and all of a sudden you’re constantly in the spotlight. Magazines needed you to sell copies, and you became the sought-after star. All of that eventually becomes pretty exhausting… You end up giving interviews for interviews, standing in front of reporters, repeating the same thing over and over because everyone asks the same question.” In 2025, Atkins admitted he knew little about Shields prior to working with her on the film. “I was living on a boat near the island where we filmed… she hadn’t arrived yet. She had another week or more before she was supposed to get here. The director put her picture above my bed so I could fall in love with her before the movie started. That was my introduction to Brooke Shields.” The Blue Lagoon became controversial due to its portrayal of two young characters in a sexual relationship. However, Shields and the film’s crew maintained that she used a double for nude scenes and that her hair was glued to her body to prevent exposure. While critics largely panned the film, it was nominated for an Oscar for Best Cinematography. Atkins acknowledged the importance of these scenes in the context of the film. “As time passed, it became more natural not to wear clothes. The crew made it very, very simple. Director Randall Kleiser made it very simple. Those scenes were absolutely essential for the film, but they weren’t overly spectacular. They weren’t there just for effect or to hype the film up. He genuinely wanted it to feel natural or real. I understood that and accepted it.” Reflecting on his Hollywood career, Atkins expressed no regrets. “So far, I’ve made over 100 movies and television series. Now my children have their own children, and that’s quite incredible… In this business, I’ve done everything except direct my own film. That’s the last box I want to check off… That’s what I’m trying to achieve right now.”