Christopher Atkins is shedding new light on what happened behind the scenes of The Blue Lagoon years after his co-star Brooke Shields recalled feeling pressured into a real-life romance with him.
Appearing on an episode of the Media Path podcast on July 9, the actor — who portrayed Shields’ on-screen love interest — claimed director Randal Kleiser tried to spark a real-life romance between him and Shields to make their onscreen chemistry feel more authentic.
Atkins, who was 18 when the 1980 film was shot, said he and the then-15-year-old Shields shared “a little romance” early on, but insisted it was innocent. According to him, Kleiser actively encouraged the relationship, even decorating his sleeping quarters with a photo of his young co-star.
“We kind of had a little romance in the beginning,” Atkins said. “And the director wanted us to have romance so it would show up on film.”
“He had put a picture of Brooke over my bunk on the boat so I would look at her every night before I went to sleep so I would fall in love, so it would show up on film,” he alleged. “And yeah, we did have a little romance and everything on the island, but it was very innocent and sweet.”
Despite the director’s efforts, Atkins said he became “very protective” of Shields, crediting her for helping him navigate his first movie. “She was great. I can’t say enough good things about her,” he said.
Shields previously addressed the experience on her Now What? podcast in 2022, recalling, “They wanted us so desperately to fall in love with each other. I did not react well being forced into feeling anything. I hadn’t even kissed anybody by that age.”
