Christopher Atkins made a huge splash as the hunky, blonde-haired castaway in the 1980 film The Blue Lagoon – and now he’s building lagoons!
"I know it sounds like a joke, but it’s absolutely true," Atkins told The ENQUIRER. "My partner and I design and build high-end swimming pools.
"In fact, we just finished a job creating a pool designed to look like a real lagoon."
Chris, 47, has made more than 70 movies and TV shows during the past 25 years, but for the last decade or so, his career has been under the radar.
"I’ve never really stopped working in Hollywood," he told us. "But mostly in projects you’ve never heard of."
Like many teen stars, Chris had his share of money trouble and heartbreak. At age 19, he got a big break starring opposite Brooke Shields in The Blue Lagoon, and his career thrived for awhile. But then things went downhill.
In 1986, he discovered his former business manager had embezzled his money, leaving the actor virtually broke.
"I had $250 in the bank," he recalled. "I had to take a loan out on my house just to cover the bills and buy food for to eat."
As his life unraveled, Chris turned to the bottle."I hit rock bottom," he revealed.
Chris has now been sober for more than 22 years – and is currently co-starring in the VH-1 reality series, Confessions of a Teen Idol.
"It was my first reality TV show, but I’d like to do more," he said.
He’d also like to get a good movie role – and revealed he’s up for a small role opposite Meryl Streep. "If you can believe it," he added with a chuckle.
