“Bobby” co-star Christian Slater might make a good politician if voters can look past some personal missteps.
He’s handsome, charming and, when pressed about a career downturn that led to films like the abominable “Alone in the Dark,” he eases into talking points like a six-term congressman.
“It’s a roller coaster ride … it’s a journey,” Mr. Slater said in describing his career during a stop in the District to promote “Bobby,” Emilio Estevez’s tribute to the slain political icon.
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“I want to talk about what’s new and now, not old and boring,” Mr. Slater says.
Let’s oblige him for the moment.
In “Bobby,” the 37-year-old actor plays a racist kitchen manager trying to handle getting fired on the busiest day of the year. Robert F. Kennedy, liberal darling and presidential hopeful, is set to make a big speech later that night at the hotel, and its staffers are in a frenzy making final preparations.
Mr. Slater’s character is one of 22 people we meet in “Bobby,” a film which focuses not so much on Mr. Kennedy himself as those caught in his force field on the day he is assassinated.
“It’s an interesting way to represent who Bobby was. You read the script and say, ’Where’s Bobby?’ ” Mr. Slater says. “He was a man of the people … whether they were rich or poor, famous or not famous.”
Or, in the case of Mr. Slater’s character, a creep.
“I was representing a part of the population who wouldn’t agree with the principles he stood for, and that was challenging,” he says.
The set, to hear him describe it, was equally democratic.
“(Co-star) Anthony Hopkins set the bar for how we should all behave … people fell into line,” he said, adding he would often knock on Mr. Hopkins’ door to chat or even “mooch” nicotine gum from co-star Demi Moore.
Born into a show business family, Mr. Slater made his television debut in 1976 on “One Life to Live.” He then toured with Dick Van Dyke in “The Music Man” before landing his first motion picture, 1985’s “The Legend of Billie Jean.”
More work followed, from the cult smash “Heathers” (1989) to the teen anthem “Pump Up the Volume” (1990).
Mr. Slater’s rebellious aura, enhanced by a practiced Jack Nicholson drawl which still creeps into his speech, made him a bankable leading man. Teens related to him, while the industry took him seriously as a resourceful young actor.
He worked steadily for years with mixed results, but his personal life started bumping his film credits from the headlines.
The actor was charged with three counts of assault and one of battery in 1997 following an incident involving his then-girlfriend. He ended up serving 59 days of a three-month sentence.
In 2005 he was arrested for sexual harassment charges which were later dismissed, and he has made more news with his fractious relationship with his now ex-wife, Ryan Haddon. The couple has two children.
The actor hit bottom with projects like “Alone in the Dark” (2005) and the straight to video sequel “Hollow Man II” (2006).
Just as the flow of choice roles slowed to a trickle, the actor fought back by hitting the stage. He appeared on Broadway in “The Glass Menagerie” and played the Jack Nicholson role in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” in London’s West End, earning warm reviews.
Today, it seems Hollywood may be ready to embrace Mr. Slater anew.
He guest starred on a “My Name is Earl” episode last week, and he has a few projects lined up for 2007. One has him co-starring with Mr. Hopkins in “Slipstream,” a surreal drama marking the latter’s first attempt at both writing and directing
The gig came from one of the actors’ many on-set chats while making “Bobby.”
He recalls the actor telling his wife, “I think I found the right man to play Ray [a key role in the movie],” recalls Mr. Slater, doing a passable imitation of the “Hannibal” star.
To hear Mr. Slater tell it, acting was, and remains, his life’s work.
He recalls as a young boy that he would grab his father, actor Michael Hawkins, by the pants leg and trail him onto sets to watch him work.
His young daughter, Eliana Sophia Slater, does the same thing these days, watching her father rehearse a play all day without becoming bored.
“It’s a gene thing, I guess,” he says.
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