Eric Roberts is one of my fave actors; he’s right up there with Gene Hackman. So I had to buy and read his book. And that is what I’m reviewing today: Runaway Train by Eric Roberts.
Title: Runaway Train: Or, the Story of My Life So Far
Series: N/A
Author: Eric Roberts
Genre: Non-Fiction, Autobiography, Memoir
Length: 304 pages
Release Date: September 17, 2024
In this brutally candid memoir, Academy Award and Golden Globe nominee Eric Roberts pulls no punches about the ups and downs of his career and his sometimes stormy relationship with his famous sister, Julia.
Blurb: Eric Roberts grew up in Georgia, spending most of his teens away from his mother and sisters, Lisa and Julia, and instead stayed with his controlling father, a grifter jealous of his early success. At age 17, Eric moved to New York to pursue acting, where he worked and partied with future legends like Christopher Walken, Mickey Rourke, John Malkovich, Bruce Willis, and Robin Williams.
His big break came when he was cast in King of the Gypsies. Eric became one of the hottest stars of the era, starting an affair with actress Sandy Dennis, working with Bob Fosse on the critically acclaimed Star 80, and earning an Oscar nomination for Runaway Train. But for Eric, Hollywood came with a dark side—an ocean of cocaine that nearly swept him away, culminating in a car accident that almost cost him his life.
Eric is open about the seriousness of his addictions and their devastating effect on his career. He reveals the reasons behind his complicated relationship with his sister, Julia, and his daughter, Emma, a successful actress in her own right. Now, happily married to casting director Eliza Roberts, who helped him confront his demons, he is revered among his peers as the ultimate actor’s actor.
Written with New York Times bestselling author, for years a Vanity Fair contributing editor, and current Air Mail writer-at-large Sam Kashner, this is a powerful memoir of a Hollywood legend.
Available at:
****
I always enjoyed Eric Roberts’s acting, so when his autobiography became available, I bought it. I must say it’s a long book. On my Kobo, it clocked in at 800 pages. Did it feel like 800 years? No. I easily read a good 150 pages per night.
It starts off with Eric talking about his father. An abusive man who his wife (Eric’s mother) wisely divorced. The thing is, the mother left Eric with the father, and well, that was the making of a recipe for disaster. Even when Eric tried to get away from his father’s clutches, the old man kept sending Eric tons of letters when he lived in NYC to try and make it as an actor. Some Eric read, and some he didn’t bother opening. I can’t say I blame him. Still, the man is his father, so a love/hate relationship continues. There is also abuse (before the divorce) from his mother.
So yeah, it’s not a great start in the world for Eric thanks to these two. I guess it was only natural he’d turn out to have many problems, which he buried in acting. I think acting became his way to escape what he’d endured as a kid. He can lose himself in a role and become someone else, other than the person his parents had tried to shape.
Everyone has their ways of protecting themselves from bad pasts, and Eric channelled this into his roles. His love of acting comes through loud and clear. And he’s a great actor. Every time I watch him in something, he blows me away with how he becomes that person on the screen.
Does he make excuses for his bad boy behaviour? Sometimes he does and other times he owns it. He’s human after all. We all find a way to justify the things we’ve done, and other times admit to our mistakes. For him, it seemed to come across as a way to survive. It also looks like Eric took the brunt of the abuse before his sisters came along because he’s a good eleven years older than them, a Baby Boomer with Gen X sisters.
I must give a big shout-out to his wife Eliza. The woman deserves a medal. Without her, Eric would’ve sunk.
Is he likable? Well…let’s just say you walk away with a good understanding of why he is the way he is. Charming? Yes. But he wears many roles on him. At times I wonder if he knows who he really is, or if he doesn’t want to know who he is because it means more pain from his past, which he does his best to exorcize through this book.
There are also great stories about the movies he made. You get a look at the industry, which I really enjoyed, and meet his fellow actors. Could he have gone for as an actor if not for his problems with drugs and alcohol? Yes. For sure. But unfortunately, he tried to find sobriety a little too late in his career.
This is a great read. Enjoyable? I’d say it’s more insightful. If you are a fan of Eric or enjoy a book about a tough upbringing and struggles with addiction, do yourself a favour and get a copy.
Maggie Blackbird 