Christopher Atkins, the actor and former model best remembered for starring alongside Brooke Shields, was recently spotted in Southport, Connecticut—a rare glimpse of the 64-year-old in public. Atkins rose to fame with his role in The Blue Lagoon (1980), a film notorious not only for its picturesque island setting but also for its controversial content, including nudity and the age of his co-star, Brooke Shields, who was only 14 at the time.
In the movie, Atkins and Shields portrayed two cousins stranded on a deserted island after a shipwreck. As the only survivors, they were forced to grow up alone, ultimately falling in love. The film sparked debate due to its sexualized depiction of underage characters.
Although body doubles handled Shields’ most explicit scenes, Atkins—then 18—appeared nude in several shots. Despite the controversy, the movie earned nearly $59 million in North America on a modest $4.5 million budget, though the backlash affected Atkins’ career trajectory.
Capitalizing on his newfound fame and status as a sex symbol, Atkins posed nude for Playgirl in 1982, which further cemented his Hollywood image. That year, he also starred in The Pirate Movie, a musical comedy that was critically panned and failed to secure long-term stardom.
In the mid-1980s, Atkins found steady work with a recurring role on the TV soap opera Dallas, but much of his later career involved low-budget films and guest TV appearances. He reunited with Shields in a 1999 episode of Suddenly Susan and had a cameo in the 2012 remake Blue Lagoon: The Awakening.
Offscreen, Atkins has largely led a private life. He married Australian model Lyn Barron in 1985, and they have two children. In a 2009 interview with People, he openly discussed battling alcoholism during a career slump but has maintained sobriety for over 20 years. During breaks from acting, he pursued ventures like building swimming pools and designing fishing lures while still taking on independent film roles.
In 2022, Atkins joined Shields on her podcast Now What? to reminisce about The Blue Lagoon. Shields jokingly recounted her discomfort on set, saying, “Why do I have to look at this? I’d never seen one before—I’m not going to start now.” She revealed producers hoped for a real-life romance, but nothing romantic occurred. Atkins added, “Maybe that was for the best—it gave the film a certain innocence. But you have to admit, the chemistry between us was undeniable.”
Letos v červenci se Atkins nostalgicky vrátil k Playgirl a objevil se na obálce 43 let po svém prvním celovečerním filmu. I když už není hvězdou, která by se táhla na titulní stránky novin, zůstává aktivní v zábavním průmyslu a pět jeho projektů je na IMDb uvedeno jako dokončené nebo v postprodukci.
Během svého nedávného výletu v Connecticutu byl Atkins spatřen, jak ležérně tankuje palivo do auta v šedozeleném tílku a květinových kraťasech s platinovo blond vlasy – po desetiletích strávených v centru pozornosti vypadal spokojeně s klidnějším životem.
