“Austin Powers” star Heather Graham hasn’t spoken to her parents in nearly 30 years.
Graham recalls leaving home at 18 to move to West Hollywood, California, to pursue her dream of being in the entertainment industry. At the time, her father warned her that Hollywood would “claim her soul.”
“He would tell me regularly that the entertainment industry was evil and that Hollywood was going to take my soul,” Graham said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. She noted that her parents “were part of a generation that didn’t believe in therapy or talking about personal things, so I never felt like I could talk to them.”
HEATHER GRAHAM FEELS ‘FREE’ WITH HER DECISION NOT TO HAVE CHILDREN
Heather Graham hasn’t spoken to her “estranged” parents since she was 25. (Ivan Apfel/Getty Images)
After the premiere of his film “Drivers License” in 1988, Graham knew it was time to move out of his parents’ house.
“When the movie came out, I was 18, life at home had gotten harder,” she said. “I thought, ‘I have to get out of here, I have to be successful and I have to be a movie star.’”
“He would regularly tell me that the entertainment industry was evil and that Hollywood would take my soul.”
Graham continued: “I found an apartment in West Hollywood with another girl from high school, a working model who was also investing in real estate. Living with her was liberating.”
When Graham was 9, her family moved from Virginia to Agoura Hills, California. At the time, the actress felt she had gone from being “popular” on the East Coast to being “not in” on the West Coast.
The actress, now 54, moved to West Hollywood, California, at age 18 to attend UCLA. (Venturelli/WireImage)
“In Virginia, I had a tomboy phase and loved exploring the woods. After we moved, I found myself isolated. I had to be driven everywhere. Without kids to play with on the street, I had less social interaction and felt increasingly self-conscious. I turned to books and read things above my level,” she told the outlet.
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Graham graduated from high school with a 5.0 GPA and went on to study English at UCLA. After her sophomore year at the prestigious University of Southern California, she decided to drop out to focus on her acting career.
Around this time, Graham landed major roles in the films “Austin Powers” and “Swingers,” which made her realize she was “self-sufficient” and she began to reevaluate her relationship with her parents.
Graham says she has “really good friends” and is proud of the life she has created for herself. (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Redbox)
“I stopped talking to my parents when I was 25, and I’m estranged from them now,” Graham admitted. “My friends are proud of me, and I’m proud of myself. I have really good friends.”
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The 54-year-old actress is proud of the life she’s created for herself. “I live in Los Angeles in a house that I bought last year. I also have a loft in New York,” she said, noting that her West Coast home “has a view of the Pacific.”
Graham now owns residences on both the East and West coasts. (John Sciulli/Variety via Getty Images)
“I love the ocean,” she says. “I also like to sit outside when I’m writing or preparing a film. Nature is a source of inspiration.”
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Graham wore many hats for her new film, “Chosen Family.” The actress wrote, directed and starred in the film, which is set to be released in October. She stars opposite Nicolas Cage in her next project, “The Gunslingers,” which is set to be released in 2025.
