Christian Slater’s lapses in judgment

Christian Slater has a tendency to get into trouble, says Marshall Sella in GQ. “It seems I fall into the ‘I’m special’ category,” says the 39-year-old actor. His troubles began in 1989 when, after leading police on a car chase through West Hollywood, he crashed into a telephone pole. He then kicked the arresting officers with his cowboy boots. In 1994, Slater was nailed for trying to check a loaded gun onto an airplane. “That’s just fantasyland delusional thinking—a James Bond mentality,” he says. “I was looking for an identity. I figured I should be a guy who has guns.” His worst fracas took place in 1997. Reportedly high on alcohol, coke, and heroin, Slater bit a man’s ear. Fleeing the scene, he ran into a cop and tried to grab his gun. “One of the low self-worth points of my existence,” he says wearily. “There’s no question I’m very fortunate to be alive.” Today, after a stint in rehab to kick cocaine and alcohol dependencies, Slater still has his moments. In 2004, he was bounced from a London strip club after refusing to take off a Richard Nixon mask that was disturbing the dancers. Three years ago, while arguing with his then-girlfriend, he wound up groping a 52-year-old woman. “I don’t want to leave you with the idea that this is the culmination of my life,” he says of his many altercations. “They’re an infinitesimal part of my experiences.”

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