I was reading the Parade section of the Sunday Paper this morning and found an interview with Christian Slater especially interesting.
As the writer points out, Christian Slater really resembles Jack Nicholson. It’s a wonder they haven’t been cast in father/son roles by now. If a movie is ever made about Jack Nicholson, they won’t have to look far for the lead actor.
As a movie fanatic, it’s only natural that this little tidbit jumped out at me. But the part of the article where Christian Slater talks about the moment he realized he needed to turn his life around…. that’s the part that grabbed me by the shoulder and said, “Wow, this is good stuff!”
You may remember that he was in trouble at one time for drinking and drugs. He was even arrested – as difficult as that is to imagine. He has been sober for years now, but doesn’t expect, or want, to be congratulated for it. In his words, “It’s like expecting a reward for running out of a burning building.”
Now, that’s an attitude worth applauding, loving, and recognizing. I think it’s an attitude that’ll also keep him (and anyone in similar-fitting shoes) on the right track.
As a advocate of Self Help – I also loved the following part of the interview. Christian’s words are in bold, the non-bold words are those of the author of the article, James Kaplan:
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…Cleaning up his act became a long, hard process.
“I sat down and asked myself, ‘What are the things that haunt me or make me feel insecure, and what can I do about them? Instead of spending the rest of my life going, ‘I am just the victim of this stuff,’ what can I do to tackle it and get over it?'”
So he made a to-do list. Or rather a to-change list.
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Now THAT’S a list! Come on, you know me – I’m all about lists. By this point of the article, I was so turned on I couldn’t sit still. Within one article, I had Hollywood, Self Help, AND the voyeuristic-ally charged account of someone making a list.
If the article had included the men drinking coffee (Slater drank water. Eh.), eating chocolate (none mentioned), and plans for saving all the animals in the world, I’d have probably passed out from excitement.
Seriously, this is absolute perfection. You have a young man who knows he needs to change his approach to life. So, where does he start. With himself. As Cicero said, “Nobody can give you wiser advice than yourself.” I love how Christian Slater worded it: “‘What are the things that haunt me…”
“Haunting” is exactly what personal demons do and we all have them in our lives – whether they’re insecurities, losses, childhood issues, resentments, mistakes, guilt… Sadly, the list goes on.
They find you, wherever you happen to be and interrupt whatever it is you happen to be doing. Like a ghost in a campy horror film – they seem intent on destroying your happiness and, ultimately, your world.
If you let them.
The best part of the article is when Christian Slater turns and faces the “ghosts” instead of running from them. They don’t like to be faced, you know. Confrontation’s not what they’re about – they just like to haunt. He turned his life around and now has a very happy family life (with two beautiful children) as well as a successful career. I hope he has much continued success – he’s worked hard for it.
To read the interview online, click HERE.