These days
Christopher Atkins is middle-aged and starring on the VH1
reality series Confessions of a Teen Idol. But
back in the early '80s, just after the release
of the then-controversial film The Blue
Lagoon, Atkins says his nude scene made him an
unexpected poster child for the gay rights movement.
Celebrity
entertainment site UInterview.com sat down with the
former pinup to talk about the film -- and his now-infamous
nude scene.
"That was a
really big deal," Atkins said in the interview. "I'm a
fortunate person in that I have a tremendous gay fan
base -- and straight fan base. You put them together
and that's a big deal. Somebody asked me once, 'Do you know
why?' And I said, 'No.' They told me, 'When your movie came
out, back in the early '80s, it was a huge
coming-out time for the gay movement. People were
starting to come out and be proud. Blue Lagoon came
out with male nudity, and you became the poster child to gay
movement.'
"I thought
it was fascinating and unexpected. It was the right time in
history for that to have happened."
Atkins also told
UInterview that he dropped out of the Hollywood scene
after a while to be a hands-on father, trading casting calls
for Little League. Confessions of a Teen Idol
marks his return to the spotlight. (Advocate.com)
