Christopher Atkins says his star-making turn in The Blue Lagoon thrust him into a level of attention he was never ready for, with fame arriving at full speed after the film’s release.
Now 65, Atkins was only 18 when he appeared alongside Brooke Shields, who was 14 at the time, in the 1980 movie. The story followed their characters, cousins Emmeline and Richard, after they become stranded on an island and later start a family. During a Q&A at Fanboy Expo Knoxville in Tennessee, Atkins reflected on how abruptly everything changed and explained that acting had never been part of his original plan. The event took place in mid-July 2026, where he was billed among the convention’s celebrity guests.
“I’d never done anything before. Never wanted to be an actor, only wanted to play baseball. That was my dream,” he told the audience, before explaining he’d been modeling for the Ford agency in New York when he was called back repeatedly to audition for the role.
He also spoke about another major opportunity that slipped away years later, saying heavy drinking cost him the top role in 1984’s “Footloose,” which eventually went to Kevin Bacon.
“I was a mess back then. I was partying it up way too much, and they called me in,” he said, recalling how filmmakers wanted a final meeting before locking him into the part. “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.'”
Atkins said he has since turned his life around and is approaching four decades without alcohol.
“And I’m almost 40 years sober, so there you go.”
The comments have drawn renewed attention following Brooke Shields’ own recent reflections on the film. On her podcast Now What? With Brooke Shields, she spoke with Atkins about their experience making the movie.
Shields said the production is something that likely could not happen in the same way now, given how young both leads were during filming.
She also said there was pressure behind the scenes to create a romance off camera, something she did not welcome.
“They wanted us so desperately to fall in love with each other,” she said. “I did not react well being forced into feeling anything. I hadn’t even kissed anybody by that age.”
Shields has also addressed the movie in her 2023 documentary Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields, where she said producers had wanted to ‘sell her actual sexual awakening.’
For Atkins, the aftermath of the film was intense and disorienting, as he suddenly found himself in the spotlight everywhere he looked. The movie became a defining pop-culture hit and a long-running source of debate because of its premise and the ages of its young stars, but it also turned Atkins into a recognizable face almost overnight.
“It changes your life, because all of a sudden you’re nothing and then you’re on every single grocery store magazine,” he said.