Heather Graham hasn’t spoken to her estranged parents in almost three decades.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal published on Tuesday, the Bowfinger actress reflected on her decision to leave home at the age of 18 and move to West Hollywood to pursue a career in the entertainment industry.
However, the plan didn’t go down with her parents Joan and James Graham, with her father warning her that Hollywood would “claim (my) soul”.
“He regularly told me that the entertainment industry was evil and that Hollywood would claim my soul,” she said, adding that her parents were part of a generation that “didn’t believe in therapy or discussing personal things, so I never felt I could talk to them”.
Heather went on to recall how she was motivated to move out of the family home following the release of the teen comedy License to Drive in 1988.
“When the movie came out, I was 18, living at home had become more difficult,” the 54-year-old recounted. “I said to myself, ‘I’ve got to get out of here, I’ve got to be successful, and I’ve got to be a movie star.’ I found an apartment in West Hollywood with another girl from high school – a working model who was also investing in real estate on the side. Living with her was freeing.”
But it wasn’t until she landed roles in 1996’s Swingers and 1999’s Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me that Heather realised she was “self-sufficient” and cut ties with her mother and father.
“I stopped talking to my parents when I was 25, and I’m estranged from them now,” she revealed, before insisting that she has a solid support system: “My friends are proud of me, and I’m proud of myself. I have really good friends.”
Heather is currently promoting her new movie, Chosen Family. The comedy-drama, which she wrote, directed, and stars in, is set to be released in October.
