The Blue Lagoon star Christopher Atkins was unrecognizable from his days as an '80s heartthrob in a new video shared to social media that saw him showcasing his favorite hobby.
The 65-year-old looked rugged in the video as he spoke directly to fans about his woodworking projects, including the creation of a large table.
© InstagramChristopher wore a yellow T-shirt in the clip, and left his famous blond locks in a shaggy style – a far cry from the curly hair he rocked in The Blue Lagoon.
The actor's fans couldn't get enough of his casual-cool look, with one writing: "Christopher is fabulous!" while another added: "You look amazing!" A third chimed in: "Gorgeous," while another said: "You're so talented!"
Christopher's rise to the top
© Bettmann ArchiveChristopher shot to fame in 1980 after starring opposite Brooke Shields in The Blue Lagoon, a film about a pair of children who are stranded on an island and later fall in love.
"I'd never done anything before. Never wanted to be an actor – only wanted to play baseball. That was my dream," he explained during a Q&A panel in Tennessee in July.
"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," he said, adding that the casting directors asked him to bring in a "blond curly wig" for the audition.
After landing the role of Richard, Christopher had to learn the ways of 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 recalled.
Dealing with newfound fame
© Getty ImagesAfter the film's release, Christopher and Brooke's fame reached heights that he was not prepared for. "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.
"But it changes your life, because all of a sudden you're nothing and then you're on every single grocery store magazine."
Losing himself
© Ron Galella Collection via GettyDespite having filmmakers knocking on his door asking him to join their projects, Christopher struggled with alcoholism as a young man, and even lost the role of Ren in Footloose to Kevin Bacon.
"I was a mess back then. I was partying it up way too much, and they called me in [to audition]," the actor said during the panel.
© Getty Images"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." Christopher added that while the role was essentially guaranteed, bombing his audition meant that the filmmakers went in another direction.
"I was so messed up that they said, 'Yeah, we're going to have to pass on this guy." Thankfully, the star has been sober for almost 40 years now and has continued to work steadily in the industry for decades.
