It was 45 years ago, but Hollywood hunk Christopher Atkins will never forget taking his mum to the glitzy LA premiere of The Blue Lagoon, only to “die of embarrassment” when his nude scene flashed up on the big screen.
“Oh boy, I hadn’t seen the movie before the premiere, and I didn’t think they’d use that full-frontal scene,” Chris, 64, tells Woman’s Day in an exclusive interview from his Connecticut home.
“So, I’m sitting with my mum, Bitsy, who was so proud her son was starring in his first movie. Suddenly, there it was – my privates in all their silver-screen glory. She turned to me and said, ‘Haven’t seen that in a long time!’”
CAREER HIGHLIGHT
Based on a 1908 novel of the same name by Henry De Vere Stacpoole, The Blue Lagoon is a 1980 coming-of-age romance story starring Brooke Shields, who was 14 and already a star when the movie was shot, and a then-unknown 18-year-old Chris. There was a subsequent 1991 sequel, and a 2012 TV adaptation.
“I loved making The Blue Lagoon and have many great memories. It remains a highlight. It fired up my acting career, which continues over four decades later,” enthuses Chris, who went on to star in
The Pirate Movie and hit TV series like Dallas and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and even make a guest appearance on Brooke’s sitcom Suddenly Susan.
“I made many Aussie friends, as most of The Blue Lagoon’s crew were Australian. The Aussie crew is what made living in a tent on Fiji’s Turtle Island (then a desert island, now a luxury resort) for four-and-a-half months so much fun. Australians have the best sense of humour.”
DESTINED TO BE A STAR
Believe it or not, becoming an actor wasn’t originally on Chris’ radar.
“My dream was to become a pro baseball player, but that was sidelined after undergoing knee surgery,” he explains. “I was a sailing instructor and model when I auditioned for The Blue Lagoon.”
You could perhaps say it was fate, then, that he was chosen out of more than 4000 actors who tested for the role. Chris, however, says he merely had the “right look” to play Richard Lestrange.
“Randal Kleiser, who’d directed Grease with John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, said I had the right look and physique,” Chris insists. “Willie Aames was first choice, but he turned it down because of the nudity.
“Randal envisaged a tanned Adonis with blond curly hair. So Mum dragged out an old wig, which I wore to the audition. For the movie, they permed my hair, which was a nightmare. That infamous loincloth I wore was very uncomfortable, as it was fashioned from coconut husk and palm fronds.”
As for the nudity, Chris took it in his stride. “It was in the script,” he says simply. “I agreed and just got on with it.”
BONDING WITH BROOKE
Chris, who was nominated for a Golden Globe for his role, says he and Brooke hit it off from the start.
“Randal, our director, wanted us to have a ‘puppy [love] romance’ to get a real vibe for the movie, so he cheekily taped a photo of Brooke over my bed,” he reveals.
Reuniting for the actress’ podcast Now What? With Brooke Shields in January, the old pals addressed rumours they were encouraged to pursue a real-life romance.
“They wanted us so desperately to fall in love with each other,” Brooke said. “I did not react well being forced into feeling anything. I hadn’t even kissed anybody by that age.”
Still, while love didn’t blossom, friendship did – and remains to this day.
“Brooke and I remain forever linked. We email one another occasionally,” Chris says, adding, “I remember Leo McKern, the Aussie actor who played Paddy, being great fun. He had a glass eye, which he sometimes took out for shock effect!”
AUSSIE TIES
Further cementing his links with Australia, five years after filming, Chris took an Aussie bride.
“I married an Australian model, Lyn Barron, in 1985. We have two kids, Grant and Brittney. We’re now divorced but remain a close family,” he says.
“The level of fame from The Blue Lagoon was surreal. I received so much fan mail there’s no way I could answer it all, and women literally tore off my clothes. Looking back on the whole
Blue Lagoon experience brings a big smile to my face.”
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