Topics: Celebrity, Parenting, Hollywood, California, Los Angeles, New York
'I stopped talking to my parents when I was 25, and I’m estranged from them now'.
Esteemed actor Heather Graham has revealed that she hasn't spoken to her parents in nearly 30 years after they disapproved of her career choice - which she has been hugely successful in.
I think when parenting you need to understand that you can't force your wants and desires on your children, although out-of-touch moms, dads and guardians still do... and it will always be an issue.
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The latest celebrity to speak out about her troubles at home is 54-year-old Graham, who has starred in some iconic movies like Boogie Nights, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, and The Hangover.
Revealing all to The Wall Street Journal, she explained how problems arose when her dad, a former FBI agent, disapproved of her chasing fame.
After graduating high school with a GPA of 5.0, the highest score possible, she enrolled onto the University of California, Los Angeles - which made sense with her family living a short hour away in Agoura Hills.
But in her junior year of college she dropped out to concentrate all her efforts on acting.
And, well it paid off... although it came at a cost.
Graham told her mom and dad that she would be leaving the family home to move in with a friend in West Hollywood after the film License to Drive was released in 1988.
Speaking about their reaction, she said: "My father, James, was an FBI agent. He regularly told me that the entertainment industry was evil and that Hollywood would claim my soul if I became an actress and appeared in anything with sexual content.
"My mother, Joan, was an elementary school teacher. She became a homemaker after my younger sister, Aimee, and I were born and wrote children’s books.
"But my 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."
Graham continued: "To her credit, my mother supported my creative streak and acting ambition. It was a mixed message, though, since my father was strongly against them and my mother didn’t do much to protect me from him."
Dropping out of college was the best decision she could have ever made, and now owns a home in LA and 'a loft in New York'.
She added: "I stopped talking to my parents when I was 25, and I’m estranged from them now. My friends are proud of me, and I’m proud of myself. I have really good friends."
Well, what's that saying... you can't choose your family, but you can choose your friends.
