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When Justine Bateman landed a starring role onFamily Ties, the hit NBC sitcom that ran for seven seasons in the ’80s, she had no clue what was in store. Only 16 years old when the show took off, Bateman was thrust into the glare of Hollywood’s spotlight — and it wasn’t always easy.
“We were at the level of fame where you just can’t go anywhere,” the actress, 52, tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue. “You just try to keep your head above water… [and] stay alive.”
While she has warm memories ofFamily Tiesand considered the cast, includingMichael J. Fox, to be her “tribe,” she calls the baggage that came with fame “mentally exhausting.”
“[For one], I found it frustrating having no control over what people thought of you,” says Bateman, who was raised in Los Angeles with her actor brother,Jason. “I’m not saying I’m ungrateful for fame at all. I’m just saying it’s a crazy emotional experience.”
Celebrity was not without an upside. “Listen, there are parts about it that are super fun, especially if you’re in your 20s,” she says. “You get into any club you want, you have backstage passes for any concert you can think of, anywhere. You have access to everything, in the same way a toddler does. Everybody’s like, ‘Oh come on in!'”
In a new book,Fame: The Highjacking of Reality, the two-time Emmy nominee takes a raw look at the culture of celebrity, reflecting on her stardom at its dizzying peak — and the “disconcerting” feeling as it began to fade.
“You watch award shows and not only are you not nominated, but you’re not a presenter and haven’t been invited to any of the parties,” she says.
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In other words, she spends little time pining for what was. “I don’t live in the past,” she says. “I find it far more interesting to look at where I’m heading.”
source: people.com
