Actress Heather Graham 'Estranged' From Parents

"Boogie Nights" star Heather Graham is opening up about how she came to be "estranged" from her parents, who were against her acting career from the start — especially her dad.

"He regularly told me that the entertainment industry was evil and that Hollywood would claim my soul," the actor told The Wall Street Journal in a new interview, adding that her 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, 54, rose to prominence after her movie, "License to Drive" premiered in 1988. She was 18 at the time. As the movie gained traction, she made the decision to move out of her parents' home in California. 

"When the movie came out, I was 18. Living at home had become more difficult. I said to myself, 'I've got to get out of here, I’ve got to be successful, and I’ve got to be a movie star,'" she said.

"I found an apartment in West Hollywood with another girl from high school — a working model who was also investing in real estate on the side. Living with her was freeing." 

Following her high school graduation with a 5.0 GPA, Graham enrolled at UCLA to study English but left in her junior year to pursue acting. She describes landing roles in films such as "Swingers" and "Austin Powers" in the 90s as a major "turning point," which made her "self-sufficient" and led her to reassess her relationship with her parents.

"I stopped talking to my parents when I was 25, and I’m estranged from them now," she added. "My friends are proud of me, and I’m proud of myself. I have really good friends."

Graham recently wrote, directed, and starred in her film "Chosen Family" and will next be seen in the action Western The Gunslingers, alongside Nicholas Cage, set to release in 2025.

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