Early in his career, actor Christian Slater was often compared to Jack Nicholson, but he soon broke free of that unintended shadow and became a star in his own right.

Having acted since he was 9, he experienced sudden fame after the release of “Heathers” in 1988. But with fame came trouble and as a young man he had several run-ins with the law. Since he turned 40 last month, those are distant memories. Slater has been married and divorced, and he has two children. He stars in ABC’s new crime drama, “The Forgotten,” which airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m.

Excerpts from an interview:

Q. Does turning 40 stir up any regrets or resolutions?

A. Well, let’s see, I think it just stirs up, you know. You live long enough, you have experiences, you do the journey and hopefully by the time you get to 40 you are a little bit wiser. Obviously, it’s a reflective time. I was thinking I no longer want to be identified with what it is I do for a living, but how I behave as a man.

Q. You’ve already been through a lot. Do you think you might be immune to the midlife-crisis syndrome?

A. We’ll see. It would be nice to be immune to something.

Q. Were you at all reluctant to get involved in another crime drama because there are so many on TV now?

A. Sure. I mean when I read the script and saw the character I did feel emotionally connected to this guy, Alex Donovan. I like the premise of the show. I thought it was very interesting, and I do like crime-story types of shows and books. …

People love crime stories and these kinds of shows. This one is a little different in the fact that these people aren’t experts by any means. They are kind of volunteers who are doing this for their own personal reasons and to heal whatever wounds they have within themselves. They are all trying to fill a particular void they have within themselves.

Q. I’m wondering what your emotional connection to the character of Alex was when you read the script.

A. He’s a guy who has gone through something that is extraordinarily difficult. I’ve never gone through anything quite as extreme as he’s gone through.

I mean, his daughter was kidnapped at the age of 8. She’s always on his mind.

Every time he gets involved with one of the cases, he’s looking for either some answers to his own situation, or the opportunity to give closure to the other families he’s dealing with. Closure he’s been unable to find himself.

via Q&A: Christian Slater getting past his past | recordonline.com.

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